A Tender Past
by TheChosenPerson
Summary: One cold night, a boy is found outside the castle, unconcious, yet unharmed. After a chance meeting with the princess, he is invited to live there. Join Evan as he faces dark creatures, the trials of knighthood, a mysterious power, and a malevolent king.
1. Author

**A/N: Well, well, well, guess who's back in business? Me, that's who. I know it's been 4 years since my last update to this story, and it's been a long time coming, but I am planning to finish this story! Trust me this time, there is an end in sight for Evan's adventures. In order to make way for A Tender Past's ultimate conclusion, I am planning on rewriting all of the chapters! Now, wait, before you jump down my throat for changing everything, I'm not. The general idea of the chapters are going to be the same. However, I'm adding situations to link it back to the game, "Dragon Quest VIII". I'm making Evan less of a Gary Stu and more into who I think he is and what the game says he is (which isn't much). I'm going to do justice to Evan's story. And who knows, when I'm old and grey, I might even come back to this world (DON'T HOLD ME TO ANYTHING!).**

**So, if you've been with me the whole entire ride, then thank you for sticking it out with me and I hope the wait was worth at least something**

**And, if you're just joining me, then I bid you welcome, and enjoy Evan's story**

**Goodnight and Good Luck!**

**TCP**

**Current Chapters Complete**

*** Chapter 1 (6/11/13)**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hahaha! So...it's 4 years since my last update (Almost 5 since I started this story). I let this story get away from me, but it's alway been in the back of my mind. I want to write different stories. Stories I am more familiar with, stories that are better than this one. But, I feel like I owe it to myself and to those of you have have stuck with this story since the beginning. But, as it was, it was very poorly written by my standards now. And I don't consider myself the best. There are probably some errors in here that I missed or confusing word order. But I feel like it is better. So, a promise if you will. I will finish this story. Come hell or high water, before I can write anything else, this prequel to Dragon Quest VIII will be completed. So, see you all in another 3 years! **

**(Edited on: 6/11/13)**

* * *

"But he is only a boy!" Exclaimed an old man.

"I am aware of that," sighed the Elder for what seemed like the millionth time, "But that doesn't excuse the fact that his mother violated the ancient laws. She had a child with an outsider! And a human no less. We have allowed the boy to live with us because we are not so heartless to abandon an infant, but he is now at the age of ten. He must leave this place."

The old man clenched his fists, trying desperately to think of some way to protect the boy. But he could not think of such a reason. Defeated, he lowered his head.

"Even so, he is still my grandson. I will not allow him to live in the world below by himself."

"Then what do you suggest?"

The old man hesitated, but said, "I will go down with him. I will be his guardian."

The Elder's eyes widened, "You cannot be serious? You would willingly give up your life to protect him?"

"HE'S ALL I HAVE LEFT OF MY DAUGHTER!" The old man barked. Regaining his composure, he sighed, "He may look like his father, but he is still my daughter's son. Part of me will always regret separating the two, but I will make amends. To the both of them."

"Then you must realize that if you agree to this, then you will be going into a forced exile. You cannot return, tell the boy of his origins, or even be in your true form, for as you are, you would give away the secrets of this society."

The old man smiled, "I will be as quiet as a mouse."

The Elder let a small smile creep onto his lips, "You were always a fan of the dramatics. Very well. The boy will leave tonight. And when he awakes, he will have no memory of his life up to that point, except his name and yours."

"I'll need a new name, I think." The old man rubbed his beard in contemplation. "I believe… Munchie will do."

The Elder nodded, "Very well Munchie. I bid you farewell. And…. Good luck."

Munchie bowed, "Thank you Elder. And… farewell."

* * *

Trodain Castle was always quiet at night. The monsters that lived in the region were tough, but they never ventured near the castle. The closest that anyone would have to go the experience a monster would be the woods leading to the Farebury region, but that was a few miles from the Castle, so no one had to worry. But that didn't mean that the Castle's defenses were any weaker. Quite the opposite, the Captain of the Guard pushed his men because of this. The Captain of the Guard, Ivan, had learned that letting your guard down is the worst mistake that a warrior could make. Because it left one open, and could lead to undesirable circumstances. Every day, Ivan trained the guards with drills, exercise, and sparring, usually joining in with them. Because, at the core of Ivan, was a warrior. 20 years ago, Ivan was a wandering swordsman. He scoured the world, looking for opponents to fight. He had an insatiable bloodlust, which left him with scarce battles, as many were afraid of him. However, one day, he came upon an old man, walking alone in the middle of a plain. Ivan noticed that the old man was carrying a sword, and told the man to battle, or else Ivan would kill him where he stood. The old man simply laughed, and continued to walk on.

Ivan lunged at the man, but his sword was then stuck in the sheath of the old man's sword. The old man smiled, drew his sword, and slashed Ivan, giving him a scar across his right cheek. Removing his sheath, the old man used it to bash Ivan a couple of times, before throwing his sword on the ground. Ivan asked the old man why he didn't kill him, to which he shrugged and continued on. Confused and perplexed, Ivan picked up his sword and followed the old man. For an entire day, Ivan followed as the old man walked, until finally reaching a small hut at the base of a mountain. The old man invited Ivan in, and bandaged his wound. Ivan asked again why the man hadn't killed him. The old man simply told Ivan that if he were to kill Ivan, then how would he learn?

Ivan asked the man to explain, but he simply told Ivan to draw his sword. Ivan stood up and drew his sword. The old man studied his stance for a few minutes. He then told Ivan to switch hands. Ivan followed, holding his sword with his left hand. The old man smiled, and told Ivan that he was ambidextrous. Ivan didn't understand what the old man was talking about, so he held the sword to his throat. He thanked him for mending his wound, but he said that he still has to kill the old man for humiliating him. The old man chuckled once more, grabbing his sword with the sheath still on it, and slapped the sword from Ivan's grasp. He flicked the sheath off and poked Ivan's chest.

"I am telling you that you are perfect to inherit my fighting style. In fact, you are the only one who can truly master it. But you have to lose your bloodlust. That will lead you to an early grave. In order to be a better fighter, you have to focus on the battle, and let go of everything, and let your sword guide you. Now, if you stop being so impatient, I'll teach you."

Ivan stood motionless for awhile. But finally, he sat down on the floor, defeated. He agreed to become the old man's apprentice, and began a 5-year training period, where he learned the secrets of the old man. After those 5 years were up, the old man died, having passed on everything to Ivan. Ivan, once again having no purpose, wandered on his own until he came upon Trodain. The then Captain of the Guard noticed him and recruited him. Ivan quickly rose in the ranks, until he became Captain of the Guard.

* * *

Life was quite in Trodain, but little did they know that it would never be the same again.

There were many routines in the guards' schedule, but there was one position that every guard loathed; night-watch on the battlements. A guard with this position had to stand on top of the castle and wait for dawn, when he was relieved of his post. But, because of the altitude and time of day, that guard was subject to many weather conditions, usually wind and cold. This was the case for Thomas, who just happened to get this post for the third week in a row. He didn't know what he had done to piss off Ivan, but he hoped that he would be forgiven soon, because for the third day in a row it was raining. Not a hard rain that would obscure a person's view, but a rain that was cold and bitter. He wished he had some liquor to warm him up and take off some edge, but he had been banned from drinking on post since an incident a few months back involving him ending up half naked with his trousers and helmet on a cow. Needless to say, he was on probation, with no end in sight. He looked around the battlements, looking to see if he could see any of the other guards. When he couldn't make out any of them, he decided that he had earned a nice little nap. He tipped his helmet forwards and closed his eyes. After 20 minutes of "resting his eyes", his head dipped forward and his helmet slid off his head and fell down to the ground below. Roused by the action, he watched as his helmet hit the ground with a small metal *thud*. Mulling over whether or not it was worth the effort to fetch it, he noticed something on the ground. It was too dark to see clearly, but he thought he could see a large object. After staring at it, he thought he saw something move. He gripped his sword, but he started to make out some features. It was small, and it looked like it had hands and feet. It looked like a person. No, it was a boy. Concerned, he started to head down to it, telling the other guards he met that he was going to investigate something down in front of the castle.

When he opened the gates and made his way out to the body, he confirmed it was a boy. He checked his pulse. He sighed with relief, the boy was still breathing. He checked him for any sort of injuries, but he couldn't find anything, except for mud and dirt. He picked up the boy and rushed him inside. When he entered the guard barracks, the room was full of a bunch of guardsmen, relaxing, drinking, talking, and gambling. He wished he was one of them. One of the guards saw him.

"Hey Tom, you're supposed to be on duty! Ivan'll have your ass for this when he…"

He trailed off as he saw the unconscious boy in his hand. The room soon fell silent as they turned their attention to Tom.

"I found this boy unconscious outside the castle. Where's Ivan? I have to report to.."

"I'm right here, Tom." Ivan cut in as he came down the stairs that led to the upper level of the barracks. He walked up to the boy and checked for his pulse. "His pulse is strong, but if he was out in this rain, he might get sick. I'll bring him to the infirmary. Get some rest, Tom. You did well."

Tom smiled, then looked at the boy with concern, "He's going to make it, isn't he Captain?"

Ivan nodded, "I don't see why not. But, I'll give a full report when I find out. Dismissed."

Thomas saluted, and joined the others at one of the tables. Ivan went outside and jogged to the main entrance, and then to the infirmary. He opened the door, to find the Castle's doctor sitting at his desk reading a book. He glanced up from his book and noticed the boy in Ivan's arm. He jumped up and went to examine the boy.

"He's not dead, Doc. Just unconscious. Thomas found him outside in the rain. I want to make sure that he is alright."

The doctor nodded, and took the boy from Ivan and placed the boy on one of the tables. For a few minutes, he examined the boy, checking to see if there was any trauma. The doctor sighed, and rubbed his eyes.

"Well?" Ivan asked.

The doctor shrugged, "I haven't the slightest idea what's wrong with him. He seems fine. No bruises, cuts, or internal damage. He seems like a perfectly healthy boy."

"So, he just collapsed?"

"That's my best guess."

Suddenly, the boy began to stir. Ivan and the doctor gathered around him. The boy's eyes slowly opened, then squinted. He lifted his arms to cover his eyes, obviously blinded by the light. When his eyes adjusted, he propped himself up on his elbows, then sat up. He looked around.

"Where am I?"

It was Ivan that spoke first, "You are in Trodain Castle. One of the guards found you outside the Castle. Do you remember what you were doing there?"

The boy shook his head.

"Do you have any family nearby?"

Once again, the boy shook his head

"Do you remember anything, anything at all?"

The boy thought for a moment, "My name is Evan. And… well… That's about it."

Ivan shrugged, "Well, at least it's a start."

The doctor pulled Ivan aside, "I believe that this boy has amnesia. I've seen a few cases of this in my time, and the only cure is to simply wait it out."

"That's all fine and well, Doc. But what are we going to do about him? It's not as if we could return him to his family."

"Maybe King Trode could let him stay. He could become a servant, or possibly a ward."

Ivan scratched his chin, "I suppose that could work. It'll give the princess some company. He looks about the her age."

"Um… excuse me?" Evan hesitantly asked. The two older men turned to him, "What's going to happen to me? Am I going to be alright?"

Ivan smiled and walked over to him, "Of course, kid. You're going to be just fine. The doctor says that you have some memory loss, and the only way for you to get better is to wait. Now, do you remember anything else about yourself?"

Evan shook his head, "No, I can't remember anything."

Ivan shrugged, "Bah, no matter. I'm sure that you're memory will return." He turned to the doctor, "I'm going to report to the King about the situation. I'll be back soon." And with that, Ivan left the room.

The doctor walked back to his desk and started rummaging through sheets of papers and books. Evan sat on the cot and stared at the doctor. After a few minutes, the doctor felt the presence of eyes upon him, and he looked up.

"Yes Evan? Is there something you need?"

Evan shifted slightly on the bed, "Well, yes, I suppose. I was just wondering about the castle."

The doctor chuckled, "I'm sure you are. Is there anything in particular you'd like to know?"

"Who lives here?"

"Well, many a people. This is Trodain Castle. This is the seat of power for His Majesty, King Trode. There are servants to attend him, cooks to prepare the meals, gardeners to maintain the plant life around the castle, guards to protect him, and myself to make sure that everyone in this castle is well. That man who was just here with us is named Ivan. Ivan is the Captain of the Guard here at Trodain. The king also has one child. A daughter named Medea. She's around your age."

Evan nodded, taking in all of the information. The doctor went back to his papers and continued to search for something that he could not find. He eventually got up, gave a muttered farewell, and left Evan alone in infirmary. Evan lied down on the small cot. He stared at the ceiling, thinking, or rather, trying to remember. All that he could remember was his name. Ivan said that the memories would come back with time, and that Evan would just have to wait. Suddenly, a memory flashed in his head. His hand flew into his pocket as he shot up. It was empty. He checked his other pocket, but nothing was in it. The memory that had returned was that he had a pet mouse, named Munchie. How had he forgotten? Munchie had been with him his entire life, and that he treasured the mouse like a close friend. He jumped off the cot and looked around the room, but Munchie was nowhere in sight. He looked at the door, and saw a small crack in the bottom of the door. It was small enough for a mouse to fit into. He opened the door and looked out in the hallway for Munchie.

"Munchie!" Evan whispered, "Munchie, where are you?"

He was a little hesitant about exiting the room, but his friend was lost in a strange place, and needed Evan's help. But then again, Evan was just as lost as Munchie. He wandered the halls, the only sounds being the pitter-patter of rain and Evan's footsteps. After a few minutes of aimless wandering, he had gotten no closer to finding Munchie, and was hopelessly lost. He sighed, defeated, and sunk to the floor against the nearest wall. A cry emanated from the room across from him, and Evan sprung into action. He barged into the room and found a girl on her bed, with a mouse on the floor.

"Munchie!" exclaimed Evan, who ran over to said mouse and picked him up. "Why did you wander off like that?"

"That mouse is yours?" The girl asked, slowly stepping off the bed and onto the floor.

"Yeah, he's my pet mouse, Munchie. I've had him for forever. He's not a bad mouse. He's just friendly. Say hello Munchie."

Evan extended his hand to the girl and Munchie looked at the girl. He cocked his head at her. She hesitantly extended her hand to Evan's, and Munchie climbed into her hand, where he promptly curled up and fell asleep. The girl giggled and pet him with her index finger.

"He's a very cute mouse. I'm sorry if I startled him. He just surprised me."

Evan grinned, "Well, it's my fault for letting him lose. I just forgot about him."

The girl looked at Evan, studying him, "I've never seen you in the castle before."

Evan explained his situation to the girl. During Evan's recounting, they had sat down on the girl's bed, feet dangling off the edge.

"That's sad," said Medea, "I know I wouldn't like it if I had forgotten everything. Well, I wouldn't remember anything, so how could I miss it?"

Evan gave a hollow smile, "That's my problem."

"Oh, I'm sorry! That was incredibly rude of me. Please forgive me!"

She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Evan's eyes widened, "W-what? No, it's okay. It's just…hard to think about, really. Please, don't cry!"

The tears in the girl's eyes instantly vanished and was replaced with a smile, "Oh, thank you. You're a very nice person!"

Evan chuckled at the girl's mood swings. She was a very interesting person.

The girl blinked, "Oh, I haven't learned your name yet. How silly of me."

"My name's Evan. What's yours?"

"I am Medea."

"Oh, so you're the princess."

She nodded, "Yup! My daddy's the King of Trodain. And someday, I'll be the Queen!"

"What's it like, being a princess?"

Medea shrugged and fell back on her bed, "Well, I have a bunch of servants that wait on me hand and foot, always bringing me things and pampering me, but I don't really like it. I tell Daddy that I don't want to be waited on, but he tells me its 'proper for a princess to not strain herself'. But I just sneak off and do things on my own."

Evan shook his head, "I don't know. If I had all that attention, it'd be nice to just relax all the time."

"Oh, it's okay sometimes, like when they bring me food and stuff, but they never leave me alone. I sometimes threaten to fire them if they don't leave me alone, but it seems they don't even mind it."

Evan sighed longingly, "Living in a castle sounds nice."

Medea giggled, "Yeah, I guess so. Are you going to live here?"

"I don't know. Ivan said that he was going to talk to the King about making me a ward or something. I hope so. I have nowhere else to go."

"I hope so, too. You are the closest person to my age, and my friend. It's lonely in the castle all by myself."

Evan remained silent for a while, "You… I'm your friend?"

Medea looked at him, "Of course. Why, do you not think so? Do you hate me?"

Evan shook his head quickly, "No, of course not. It's just that… well, you're my first friend. Besides Munchie, but he's a mouse."

Medea smiled, "Good. Because you are my first friend too." She sat up and grabbed Evan's hand. She dragged him off the bed and over to her dresser. She rummaged around in the dresser, flinging all kinds of clothes onto the floor. Evan wondered what she was looking for, but his question was answered when she held up a red piece of cloth and handed it to Evan. Evan hesitantly took it, not quite understanding the significance of it.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"It's a bandana silly. You wear it around your head. Here, let me show you."

She turned him around and placed the cloth on his head, and folded it so it covered his hair. She made a knot and tied it. Inspecting her work, she nodded, pleased with what she had done. She grabbed a small hand mirror from her dresser and showed it to Evan, who looked at the new headwear. It covered most of his hair, but a few pieces poked out from the bottom. He adjusted it so that it felt natural, and he smiled.

"Wow, this is cool. Thanks Medea, I like it a lot."

Medea returned Evan's smile, "That's good, I knew you would. That bandana is a marking of our friendship."

Evan admired the new accessory and what it meant. It meant friendship, it meant that he wasn't alone. It meant the start of new memories to replace the ones that he had lost. He smiled at Medea, who returned it and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, Evan! We have to go see Daddy!" And she ran towards the door, dragging Evan in tow.

"What? Why?"

She turned and gave Evan a look, "So that he can let you stay here! Oh, but don't worry if he says no at first. I'm not gonna take 'no' for an answer."

Evan had to laugh at Medea's sheer enthusiasm. He knew nothing of princesses, but Medea seemed clever enough to know when and how to exploit her position as princess and daughter. They left her room and ran down the corridors towards the king's chambers. As they rounded a corner, Medea ran face first into Ivan's stomach. Medea, not expecting the sudden obstacle, fell to the floor, bringing Evan down with her. Ivan couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter as he watched the two of them scramble to their feet.

Medea, embarrassed, but also riled by Ivan's laughter, huffed, "Sir Ivan! It is impolite to laugh at a princess."

"That is true, Your Grace. Please accept my humblest apologies for my transgression." And to add to that, he bowed low to the floor.

Medea struggled to keep a dower appearance, but her visage started to crack with smiles and giggles, and the facade was broken, "Oh, it is fine, Sir Ivan. But, where are you headed?"

"I was actually looking for Evan. Your father tasked me to fetch him, and after finding the infirmary empty, I was coming to check to see if he managed to find you. And, it seems, I was correct."

Medea beamed, "Oh, what a coincidence, we were just going to see Daddy about letting Evan stay. We're friends now, and now Daddy has to let him stay."

Ivan chuckled, "Well, I can't argue with you there, Your Grace. Come, let us be off before the night is through."

The three set off, Ivan taking the lead, Medea still holding onto Evan's hand, as if Evan would be gone if she let go. Evan didn't mind, though at times she did grip his hand a little too tightly. They came upon a red door adorned with golden bolts and handles. Ivan grabbed a hold of one and gave three quick knocks. There was silence, but a soft voice told them to enter, and they proceeded to enter into the King's Chambers.

King Trode was a short man. Not short by most standards. He stood slightly beneath Evan's nose. His face was round and his mouth seemed to take up most of his lower face. His hair was a light brown, speckled with gray. He wore simple robes of lesser material. If Evan hadn't been told, he would not have assumed that this man standing before him was a king. King Trode watched Evan as they entered, and walked up to him and inspected him. Evan stood straight up and didn't move a muscle, wondering what King Trode could be looking for.

King Trode circled around Evan, muttering to himself as he continued his inspection. He came around to face Evan, and scratched his chin.

"So," he said, "this is him, correct?"

Ivan bowed his head slightly, "Yes, sire. One of the guards found him outside the castle during his rounds. He seems well enough, though he has no memories of his life. He only remembers his name."

"Uh, I actually remember something else." Evan cut in, "I, uh, have a pet mouse"

King Trode stepped back, aghast, "You...you have a vermin as a pet?"

"No, he's not a vermin, he's my friend! See, I'll show..." Evan reached into his pocket for Munchie, but the mouse was no longer there. He searched the other pocket, but it was empty. He looked around the room, looking for any indication as to where the mouse could possibly be, but as Evan turned back to King Trode, he saw Munchie. The mouse had, in fact, climbed up King Trode's clothes and was now resting on his head.

King Trode saw the three of them stare at him, or rather at his head, and reached up. He reached up and felt a soft body on top of his head, and his already pale skin seemed to get even paler. He let out a shriek and started to panic, jumping around and running in place.

"G-G-G-Get this...MONSTER off of my head! SIR IVAN, DO SOMETHING!"

Ivan, unsure of how to handle the situation, approached the king slowly, hands up to try and assess the situation. He hesitated for a brief instant, then reached out and plucked the mouse off of King Trode's head. He looked at the mouse, who looked at Ivan, almost as if to ask why he was woken up from his nap. Ivan smirked and handed the mouse back to Evan, who took him graciously and placed him back in his pocket, whispering something to the mouse.

King Trode calmed down, hand on his heart and struggling to catch his breath, "I want this...delinquent out of my sight! Banish him, exile him, I don't care! JUST-"

"DADDY!" A voice called out. All eyes turned to see Medea, forgotten in the excitement, "Daddy, Evan is my friend. You can't banish him!"

King Trode sputtered, not expecting Medea to come to the defense of the delinquent, "B-b-but, Medea, he was only here for a short while. How could you have made friends with this-this delinquent?"

Medea crossed her arms, "He is NOT a delinquent and Munchie is very nice!"

Now King Trode was baffled, "Munchie? Who is Munchie?"

"Uh, Munchie is my mouse." Evan added.

"And Evan is my friend. You can't make him leave. I forbid it."

King Trode sighed, "Medea, my dear, you cannot simply forbid me. I am the King, my word is law."

Medea glared at her father for a few seconds, but then she lowered her head. Everyone stared at her, wondering what happened to her, but suddenly, her eyes started to water, until tears started pouring out and she collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

"But...but...but..." She managed to choke out, "Evan's...the only friend I have. You can't send him away. He's my friend!"

King Trode didn't know what to do with his crying daughter. He tried to reason with her, but her sobs only got worse. He looked to Ivan, who merely shrugged. He turned back to Medea, who was now crying into her hands. He tried to think of something to say, but he blustered and blabbered until he let out a huge sigh.

"Alright, the boy can stay. He'll stay, Medea."

Almost instantly, Medea stopped crying and looked up at her father, "Oh, truly Daddy? Thank you so much!" She jumped up and hugged him. King Trode, however, was muttering to himself about 'vermin' and 'manipulation'. Medea turned to Evan and also hugged him. Shocked, Evan hugged her back, "Oh, this will be so much fun! I'll teach you everything about this castle. We can play together, and eat together, and I'll show you all the secret passages and we can talk all night and..."

"Easy there, Your Grace," Ivan cut in, "You'll be able to do all of those things in the morning. Now, it's very late and you two should get some sleep."

Both Evan and Medea seemed to both fall under a spell as both their eyes seemed to grow heavier. They both nodded, and Ivan ushered them towards the door. He looked at the King, who tiredly waved them off, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat in the nearest chair.

"Give the boy one of the old servant's quarters. The one near Medea's room. We can deal with all of this in the morning."

Ivan made to leave, but King Trode motioned for Ivan to stay.

"Tell me Ivan, does this boy remind you of someone?"

Ivan glanced at Evan, who was waiting by the door, trying to remain awake. He tried to recognize the face, but to no avail.

"I don't think so, sire. Or, at least, I do not know who. Why, who does he remind you of?"

King Trode gazed at Evan for another moment, before shaking his head, "No, it's my imagination. Just my eyes playing tricks. It's very late. It's fine, Ivan. You have my leave." And with that, the King left the room.

Ivan bowed, then left the King's Chambers. He escorted Medea back to her room, who gave a soft goodnight to Ivan and hugged Evan before closing the door. They were both silent as Ivan led Evan to an empty room that was now to be Evan's. The room was small, with not much in it. There was a bed, a small bedside table, a cabinet, and a small window that looked out onto the coast. The sun was starting to rise, and a small sliver of light shot through the window.

"Here's your room, kid. You'll stay here. Get what little rest you can. We'll officially welcome you tomorrow."

Ivan made to leave, but Evan grabbed Ivan's arm, "Uh, Ivan?"

"Yeah, kid?

"Is it really okay for me to be here? I mean, it seemed like the King didn't really want me."

Ivan squatted and placed a hand on Evan's head, "That may be, but in the end, he accepted you. Medea wouldn't have had it any other way. Don't worry. You'll fit in. And who knows, maybe you'll remember where you're from and we'll take you there."

"But what if I never do? What if I never remember anything about my life?"

Ivan stood up and walked towards the door, "Well, then you'd better get used to the view, kid." And with that, Ivan left.

Evan looked out of the window, where the sun started to rise on the horizon. He watched as the sky turned orange and the sea illuminated beneath the sun's glow. Smiling, he untied the bandana Medea had given him and stared at it. He gripped it, and placed it on the small bedside table. He hopped into bed and let sleep take him. He had to get some rest. His life was about to begin.


	3. Chapter 2

Evan had an uneventful sleep. He had no dreams, not thoughts, just sleep, plain and simple. Evan was still getting used to living in a castle. A week had pasted since Trodain has welcome Evan. Every morning, one of the servants would bring him food and Medea would come and visit him in his small bed in the infirmary. Then, Lunch would be brought to him. He usually ate this alone, but Evan didn't mind. It gave him time to think about things. He would usually take a nap at this time. When dinner time came, Evan had an escort take him to the dining area, where he sat next to Medea. Evan did notice that Medea was a little clingy towards him, but he didn't mind. He liked the attention. Then, after dinner, Evan would go to the soldier quarters and listen to the soldier's stories. This was Evan's favorite time. He always liked soldiers and knights. He found them interesting. He always wanted to wield a sword, wear cool armor, and rescue a princess, the usual hero things. After that, Evan went back to bed. This went on for a week.

The next morning, Evan was still in the infirmary. Suddenly, he felt a giant pressure on his chest. He opened his eyes and saw that Medea was, in fact, sitting on top of him.

"M-medea," Evan said, trying to regain his breath, "What are you doing?"

"Daddy said that your room is ready!" Medea said, overly-excited.

Evan sighed. He had gotten used to this room. He liked its smallness. But, he could do without the occasional soldier coming in here with some wound. Evan followed Medea through the halls. Suddenly, Evan blurted out, "I don't know anything about this place."

Medea stopped and looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that I have never gone anywhere, someone had always taken me. If I were to get lost, I wouldn't know how to get back."

Medea just stared at Evan. Suddenly, she grabbed him by the hand and started to run, "Come on! I'll show you the castle."

Door after door, hall after hall, room after room. There were so many places in the castle. There were rooms for sitting, rooms for napping, rooms for meetings, and they had so many empty rooms. All of this made Evan's head spin. He wondered if Medea knew where she was going. Suddenly, she ran outside. She ran to the middle of the courtyard. Evan was panting, while Medea seemed to be full of energy and life.

"M-medea," Evan panted, "Can you slow down…I need to catch my breath." As soon as Evan felt air return to his lungs, he asked, "Why did you take me out to the courtyard?"

Medea looked at Evan as if he asked an obvious question, "Because it's the easiest way to get to the rooms, silly." She pointed to the left, "On the left, you have the library. Past there you have the servant's rooms." She moved her finger to the right side of the castle, "There you have the soldier barracks and the kitchen." She then pointed to the center of the building, "And that's where you have my room, daddy's room, your room, and the dining room."

Evan wondered how Medea knew all of the rooms. Suddenly, he looked down and saw that he was still holding Medea's hand. Medea noticed this too, and she quickly withdrew her hand with a slight blush. A smile crept on to Evan's face. He tapped Medea on the shoulder and said, "Tag! You're it!" Evan than ran into the castle, with Medea close on his trail. Weaving through hallways, Medea continued to chase Evan. As Evan made his way towards the back of his castle, he saw Trode and Ivan walking towards him. As he ran by them, he yelled, "HI IVAN AND MR. TRODE!"

Ivan shook his head, not wanting to know what Evan was doing, while Trode was obviously flustered, "How dare he! He has already been here for a week and yet he still calls me _Mr._ Trode. It is KING Trode. I will be treated with respect!"

Suddenly, Medea came running down the same hallway. She stopped in front of Ivan and Trode, "Daddy and Sir Ivan. Evan and I were playing tag. Did he come this way?" Ivan nodded and pointed to his left, which lead to a pathway with a dead-end door. Medea smiled, muttering something about being it. She ran towards the door. After a few seconds, Medea came running out with Evan following close behind.

Ivan just shook his head, _Kids_, he thought, _so full of energy and youth. I will never understand why they find running fun_.

Medea made it out of the castle and into the center of the courtyard. There, a large Oak Tree resided. She ran under it, but stopped because she was out of energy. Evan came up to her and poked her, "Tag…You…are……it." And with that, he collapsed. He rested his back on the Oak Tree. Medea followed his example and sat down, but she was on his next to him, resting her head on his shoulder, both panting. They were silent for a few minutes.

Medea was the first to break the silence, "Evan…That was the most fun I have ever had. Before you came, all I did was boring, like meet with important people. But I have had more fun with you in a week than I had in 8 years."

Evan smiled. He too, had had a lot of fun. He couldn't remember anything about his past, so he didn't know if he did anything exciting, but he didn't care about that right now. Evan then asked, "You mentioned something about your past. Tell me about it."

Medea smiled, "Okay. Well, my daddy was a king for as long as I can remember. I always used to be an adventurous baby, so daddy would always worry about me. As I got older, I saw less of him, but he told me that this was a step to becoming a big girl. So, I accepted it."

"What about your mother? You didn't mention her." Evan interrupted.

Medea looked down at the grass around the tree, "My mom died in child birth. I don't remember her at all." Suddenly, tears began to well in her eyes. Evan was frightened by this. He couldn't stand when girls cried. He couldn't explain where this came from, but when he saw that a girl was about to cry, he went into overdrive.

"Medea! Please don't cry. I am sorry that I mentioned her. Please, don't cry, I can't stand it. Don't cry. Look, see, don't cry." Evan made a funny face. Medea looked up at Evan as he contorted his face again. She gave a tearful giggle. Evan made another funny face and Medea's tears vanished. Evan let out a deep sigh.

"Thanks, Evan." She said, "You made me feel better. I knew it was a good idea to let you stay."

"Hey!" Evan said, faking mock anger, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Medea giggled again. Evan smiled. They resumed their original positions. They sat there is silent for a couple of minutes. Medea broke the silence, "This is nice."

Evan looked at her, "What do you mean?"

"This." She explained, "Sitting here under the tree with you, talking. It is really nice."

"Yeah, I guess it is." Evan said, "We should do this more often."

"How about every day?" Medea suggested.

"Evan shook his head, "No, too much. I takes the magic out of it. Soon, it will become more of a chore than a enjoyment."

Medea nodded, "How about once a week?"

Evan smiled and nodded, "Yeah! That sounds great. So we'll do this every week."

Medea smiled, and then suddenly began to laugh.

"What is it?" Evan asked.

Her laughs subsided and she said, "The whole reason that I came to get you is to show you your room, but we got really side tracked."

Evan laughed at this, "Yeah, I guess we did. Well, no time like the present." They stood up, "Now, let's go to my new room, though I liked my old room."

"Why is that?" Medea asked as they started to walk into the castle.

"Well, it was small. Not too big. I liked it like that. Well, I didn't like sick and injured people coming in everyday, but other than that, it was a nice room."

Medea shrugged, "I don't know what you see in that room."

"Don't knock it till you try it." Evan countered.

"I did! I got sick a few years back and I spent the night in the infirmary. It was too small and the beds were real lumpy. I like my room. It's big, and roomy, and they beds are fluffy."

Evan shrugged, "Whatever you say."

They soon approached Evan's new room. Evan tentatively opened the door. To his surprise, it was just a little bigger than his room in the infirmary. His bed was located in the top left corner and there was a small nightstand next to the bed. A dresser was located on the opposite side of the room. There were blinds covering the windows. He walked over to them and pulled the blinds. Evan gasped at the view. Outside was an amazing view of the ocean. Evan turned to Medea and smiled, "I love it," Evan said, "It's perfect."

Medea smiled back at Evan, "I am glad you like it. I'll come and get you when dinner's ready."

Evan nodded as she shut the door. Evan's gaze returned to the ocean. As Evan stared at the water, he suddenly felt exhausted. Evan decided to test out his new bed. He hopped on it and let Munchie out of his pocket. He placed his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. The next thing Evan knew, he was thrown into the air. He opened his eyes to see Medea sitting on his bed.

"Medea," Evan yawned, "What are you doing in my bed?"

"I came to tell you that dinner is ready, silly."

"But its midday. Dinner can't be ready!"

Medea just shook her head, "No. You slept through lunch and now you're late for dinner."

Evan's eyes widened. He looked at the sky. Medea was right. The sun was setting. Evan looked at the foot of his bed and saw a cup of soup, which looked cold and a piece of bread. Evan hopped off of the bed, grabbed the bread and placed it in his mouth, grabbed Medea's hand and ran towards the dining room. Evan managed to get there without any help. He opened the door to see Trode sitting at the head of the table, waiting. Next to him was Ivan, who was standing and not eating.

"And what took you so long, Evan." Trode said.

Evan spoke, but the bread he grabbed from his room was still in his mouth. He realized this and he ate the rest of the bread. Once he was finished, he spoke, "Well, Mr. Trode, Medea woke me up this morning and wanted to show me my new room, but I asked her to show me the castle, then we went outside and we played tag and we ran around the entire castle and then we sat under the giant oak tree and then she showed me my room and I took a nap and now here we are."

Trode just sat there. Finally he spoke, "Oh, well, over-sleeping is natural, nothing we can do about that."

Evan smiled. He took his seat across from Medea and began to eat.


	4. Chapter 3

It was time for Evan and Medea's weekly walk. This would be the fourth time that they would walk around the castle and sit under the oak tree. Evan got to see less of Medea since she had 'princess duties' to do like sitting in on important meetings and be there when ambassadors from other kingdoms would come. Evan was forced to stay in his room. But sometimes Evan went to the soldier barracks and spent the day with the soldiers. The soldiers always called Evan kid, or squirt. Evan didn't mind, though. He liked to hear stories of sword fights with monsters, or how they defeat bandits from raiding the castle. Every time Evan went to visit the soldiers, he always noticed that Ivan always wore his sword across his back. When Evan asked why, Ivan always responded with 'I have bad hips.' When he asked the other soldiers, they said that he has always worn his sheath like that. Evan looked up to Ivan. Sometimes he would wander into the courtyard and pretend that a branch was a sword. He wasn't very good, but he was a kid after all. The thought of being a soldier never left his mind. When he ate, when he bathed, and when he slept, the idea of wearing armour and carrying a sword always appealed to him.

Evan was brought out of his daydreaming by Medea opening the door to her room. When she saw Evan, she smiled. Evan smiled as well. Medea and Evan then proceeded to walk towards the oak tree. Suddenly, Evan felt Medea's stare. He looked at her and she was staring at him.

"What?" He asked, "Do I have something on my face?"

Medea just continued to stare at him. They stopped walking and they remained silent. Evan was confused and he began to fidget under her gaze. Then, Medea broke the silence with, "You know, Evan, you're kind of cute."

Evan felt heat rush to his face, "C-cute?" Evan repeated, "Y-you think that I-I'm cute?"

Medea nodded, and then proceeded to skip towards the main entrance of the castle. Evan just stood there, dumbfounded. "Evan," Medea yelled, "Don't dilly-dally!"

Evan was broken out of his trance and yell back, "Dilly-dally, shilly-shally. I'm coming."

Medea giggled. Evan had to jog to catch up with Medea, who didn't wait for him. They both exited the castle and the sat under the big oak tree. Evan faced towards the castle and Medea rested on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a minute, until Medea started to talk about her duties for the past week. Evan was paying attention, until he noticed a group of soldiers, including Ivan, walk to the main courtyard, past the oak tree and started to train. Evan turned his head and he watched the soldiers spar with one another. Evan was drawn into this. He couldn't look away. Evan was hypnotized by the soldiers.

"And then yesterday I-" Medea stopped as she noticed Evan staring at the soldiers. She gently nudged him, but Evan didn't move. His eyes were still fixed on the soldiers. She then poked him, but met with the same. Medea then shoved Evan, who fell over. Evan picked himself up.

"Ow!" He yelped as he rubbed his shoulder, "What was that for?"

"You weren't paying any attention to me!" Medea yelled back.

"Sorry, but I was just distracted."

"By what? The soldiers? What's so special about them?"

"Everything!" Evan exclaimed. Evan started to go into high gear. When talking about soldiers, he could take for a long time, "They are awesome. They get to wear cool armor, they get to carry around big swords, they rescue people, and they slay monsters and bandits. They are the best. I wish I was one!"

Evan continued to ramble on, but Medea had stopped paying attention. An idea began to form in her head. She would go to her father as soon as possible. Evan finally stopped talking to catch his breath. Medea caught him, "You have to listen to me now."

"What? Why?" Evan asked.

"Because I am the princess. I declare it."

Evan sighed, defeated. Medea used the 'princess' card before to get what she wanted. Evan learned to not disobey, or there would be hell to pay, "Alright, Alright, I guess start from the beginning."

Medea smiled, "Okay. So last week was pretty hectic. There was this guy who…"

Evan listened quietly as Medea recounted the events of the previous day. But a few times he would daydream about the soldiers. Medea would notice this and ask Evan about the last thing she said. Evan was able to tell her, and she continued. Evan sighed. It was going to be a long hour.

When Evan escorted Medea back to her room, she waited a few minutes, and then left her room. She practically ran to the throne room. She opened the doors and saw her father sitting on his throne. She ran up to him and said, "Daddy!"

There was no answer. She looked at her father and realized that he was asleep. He gently poked him, but to no avail. She nudged him, but still Trode remained asleep. She grew angry and she shoved him off of his throne. Trode awoke as his body hit the floor. He jumped up and looked around.

"WHO DID THAT? WHO WOULD DARE PUSH A KING OFF OF HIS THRONE? WHO…" He then noticed Medea standing by his throne. He hopped up and looked behind her. There was no one else but her, "Medea, where you the one that pushed me out of my throne?"

Medea shook her head. Trode let out a sigh, but Medea then said, "I shoved you out of your chair."

Trode's eyes widened, "M-M-MEDEA?! YOU DID THAT? But why?"

She crossed her arms and huffed, "You fell asleep."

Trode began to speak, but Medea cut him off, "Daddy, I have a request."

"What is it Medea?" Trode asked, hoping it would be something small and very inexpensive.

"I want you to make Evan a soldier here."

Of all the things Trode was expecting, this wasn't this one, "But Medea, he is only 8 years old. Why do you want him to be a soldier here?"

"Because, he is always talking about soldiers and warriors. I think that he should be a guard because it will make him happy."

Trode sighed and rubbed his temples, "But Medea, you don't understand. He is only 8 years old, he is just a boy. There is not much he can do."

Medea pouted, "But Daddy! It will make him happy! Pwease?"

Trode sighed again, "Alright, alright."

Medea squealed and hugged Trode, "Oh, thank you, Daddy."

Trode hushed Medea by placing his hand on her shoulder, "But you must ask Ivan if he will allow him to train under him."

Medea nodded and skipped out of the room. She then proceeded to go to the soldier barracks. She knocked on the door and waited. After 30 seconds, Ivan opened the door, "Princess," He said, "What can I do you for?"

"Sir Ivan," Medea began, "Please make Evan a guard.

Ivan chuckled, "No, seriously, what do you want?"

Medea huffed, "I already told you!"

Ivan then began to laugh, "Princess, stop joking around. What do you want?"

Medea was now angry, "SIR IVAN! I ALREADY TOLD YOU! MAKE EVAN A SOLDIER!"

Ivan stopped laughing, "Evan? The Kid? Why?"

Medea explained her reasons and that her father had allowed it. Ivan leaned against the wall and he began to stroke his chin, "Well, Princess, I guess I have no choice, but something tells me that you want to make Evan a guard for another reason."

Medea blinked, "N-no. I-It's not like that."

Ivan chuckled, "You already gave me your answer, so why don't you just tell me."

Medea blushed, "Well, I kind of like Evan. I mean, more than a friend, but I am not sure whether or not he likes me, I mean, more than a friend, and I just thought that, you know, if he were to find out that I recommended him, then, maybe he would feel the same."

Ivan chuckled again, "Young love and first crush. Two deadly things. Who knows what The Kid feels, but if you want to know if he feels the same way, then I suggest that take things slow. Guys aren't going to admit their feelings so easily, so just take your time. He will give you some signs."

Medea smiled, "Thank you, Sir Ivan. I'll take your advice. When can Evan start?"

"The thing is Medea, it will take a while to train Evan, so you will see less of him."

Medea's smile faded, "Oh…Well, I guess that's okay. If it makes Evan happy, then I am happy too."

Ivan smiled, "Now that is the first key to a relationship. Giving up something that will make you happy, so that your partner can be happy."

Medea smiled, "Thank you again, Sir Ivan." Medea then began to leave, but she stopped and turned around to Ivan, "Oh, and don't tell Evan yet. I want to tell him, but I'll wait awhile."

Ivan smiled, "I'll get him now." And Ivan left to go to Evan's room.

Medea smiled, _I really hope Evan likes me…_

Evan rested in his bed. He wasn't tired; he just wanted to lie down. Evan pondered over what Medea said to him. _Am I cute?_ He thought, _As long as Medea thinks so._ Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door. Evan climbed out of bed and opened the door. Ivan was there.

"Ivan?" Evan asked, confused, "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to tell you that you are going to start your training tomorrow morning."

"Training? For what?"

"To be a soldier, of course." Ivan responded.

A smile crept across Evan's face. There was only one emotion that Evan currently had, and that was pure joy. Evan jumped up and down, "Really? I'm going to be a soldier? ALRIGHT! This is the best day of my life. I can't wait. I don't think that I can sleep now. Do I get a cool sword? Do I get to wear cool armor? Do I have to wear that weird hat? I think it looks stupid."

Ivan watched as Evan rambled on and on. He said goodbye, but Evan didn't hear. He slowly closed the door. He sighed; _The Kid is going to be a pain in the ass to train._


	5. Chapter 4

Evan woke up at dawn. For the past 1 ½ years, Evan woke up at dawn. At first, Ivan came bursting into his room and started to raise hell until Evan was practically dragged from his bed into the soldier quarters. After 2 weeks of this, Evan started to wake up by himself, which surprised Ivan. Now, even when he wasn't training, he still woke up at that time. Evan rubbed the sleep from his eyes and he hoped out of bed and went over to his dresser. His dresser was full of only of three things; seven blue shirts, 5 gray shorts, and his bandana. He wore his bandana all the time, except for when he slept. It was given to him by Medea when he first came to the castle. Medea was the princess of the castle and his best friend. Of course, because of his training and her princess duties, he saw very little of her. He missed all the time that they spent together, her smile, her laugh, and most of all, her touch. A blush crept onto Evan's face. Somewhere along the line of his stay at the castle, he had developed a crush on her. He didn't know how she felt about him, but he was too frightened to ask. If he told her and she didn't feel the same way, then their friendship would become very awkward. He sighed as he tied his bandana to his head. Next to his bed was his sword. It was too long for him, but as he grew older, he would grow into it. He tied his sword around his waist like he was trained to do.

He then proceeded to walk towards the soldier quarters. The main lobby of the quarters was filled with 4 tables and a bar off to the side. There was a door leading to a pair of rooms and some stairs that lead to the Head Captain's room, which belonged to Ivan now. As Evan entered, he saw Thomas and Fredrick sitting at a table, drinking something, _Probably Alcohol_, Evan thought. Thomas was the one who found Evan alone, outside the castle, with no memory of his past. Fredrick was Thomas' older brother, and they looked very similar, but Thomas has short hair, while Fredrick had hair that went down to his shoulders. Evan was never intimidated by them. He fought Thomas a few times and beat him. Since then, Thomas refused to fight against Evan. Fredrick fought Evan, but so far, he was never able to land a scratch on him. Evan went to sit down at the table. Thomas noticed this.

"EY! If is idn't Evan!" He exclaimed.

_Yup, defiantly Alcohol_, Evan sighed. "Hey guys, you know where Ivan is?"

"No…uh…I hic haven't…seen 'im 'round 'ere" Thomas answered, drunkenly.

Fredrick sighed, "My idiot brother can't hold his liquor. After two shots, he is done."

Thomas stood up and slammed his hands on the tables, "Whow! I…ow…make the world stop spinning." Thomas grabbed his head and fell back on his seat, which tipped over and Thomas went toppling to the floor.

Fredrick and Evan both sighed. This is usually how Thomas conducted himself in the morning, "Hey, Evan, Ivan won't be ready for a half hour, so sit down and have a drink."

"You know Fredrick," Evan said as he sat down next to him, "I am only 10 years old, and I shouldn't be having an Alcohol."

Fredrick laughed, "Well kid, you are only as old as you think you are. Just try it."

Evan hesitantly took the shot glass and put it up to his lips to take a taste. Fredrick saw this and interjected, "No, take it in one sip. That's called a shot. Just one giant gulp."

Evan nodded and downed the beverage in one sip. It tasted sour. As it went down his throat, it left a burning sensation. Evan coughed and gagged. Fredrick just laughed and laughed, but handed Evan a cup of water. Evan quickly downed the glass.

"What…the hell was that?" Evan managed to say, "It was horrible!"

"It's whisky." Fredrick explained, "It is pretty powerful stuff. But you get used to it."

"Get used to it?" Evan exclaimed, "How can anyone get used to it. My throat felt like it was on fire."

"Whisky has that effect. In fact, I think I reacted the same way when I had my first shot."

Suddenly, Ivan came walking down the stairs. He noticed Evan and Fredrick sitting and Thomas passed out on the floor. He walked over to Thomas and kicked him in the ribs. Thomas shot up and started to swear. He clutched his side. Evan guessed that Ivan may have broken some of his ribs.

"God, Ivan!" Thomas exclaimed, his being drunk was overpowered but the pain, "Why did you kick me?"

Ivan just said, "You know my policy; you collapse on my floor, I collapse your insides."

"That's kind of a sick rule, isn't Ivan?" Fredrick said.

"Only if you ever lived through it." Ivan countered.

Fredrick sighed, he knew that there was no questioning Ivan's authority. Ivan looked at the empty shot glass in front of Evan. "Great Job, kid!" Ivan exclaimed as he patted, or in his case, slapped, Evan on the back, "You just took one step closer to being a man."

"It tasted like crap." Evan muttered.

"Most alcohol does, kid." Ivan explained, "You just got to learn to like it."

Evan sighed, "I guess so. But, enough chit-chat. What do you have planned for me today?"

Ivan scratched his stubble, "Gee, kid, I don't know. I don't have anything planned for today."

"How about Evan and I spar?" Fredrick suggested.

Ivan just shrugged, "Sure, what do I care. Kid needs all the practice he can get."

"Hey!" Evan protested, "I'm not _that_ inexperienced. I beat Thomas a couple of times."

Ivan let out a loud grunt, "Kid, everyone can beat Thomas. Ain't nothing to cheer about."

"Real nice, Captain." Thomas said as he rubbed his side, "First break my ribs, then break my spirit. Makes me feel special."

"Just get ready and meet in the usual spot." Ivan barked as he went back upstairs. He called back, "Once you're done, you can do whatever you like for the rest of the day." And Ivan was gone.

Evan and Fredrick both made their way to the usual spot, which was in the main courtyard by the giant oak tree, Evan and Medea's rendezvous point every month, which was the only time they were free of both of their duties. Evan and Fredrick walked 20 paces away from each other, turned and bowed. Evan drew his sword and held it at a 45 degree angle to his right. Fredrick just stood there.

"Aren't you going to draw your sword?" Evan asked.

"I don't need it to beat you." Fredrick taunted.

"Oh yeah, well…" Before Evan could finish his sentence, the doors to the castle opened and Medea appeared.

"Medea?" Evan asked, confused as to why the princess was out here, "Why are you out here?"

"Don't you remember?" Medea asked. Evan just shook his head. Medea sighed, "Today is the day when we are supposed to talk by the tree!"

Evan's eyes widened, "That was today? Oh, man, I forgot all about that. Sorry, Medea. Once I fight-"

Evan never got to finish that sentence. Fredrick rushed at him. Evan had no time to dodge, so he just blocked. Their swords connected and made a loud sound. Fredrick was slowly overpowering Evan. Slowly; Evan's sword began to move towards him. Evan couldn't block Fredrick for much longer, so he quickly rolled to the right. Fredrick then slashed at Evan, who ducked, which caused the blade to barely miss his head. Evan saw his chance and he tried to stab Fredrick. Fredrick easily parried and he twirled around and went for the kill, but he stopped about an inch from Evan's neck. Evan growled. Fredrick just smirked. Evan suddenly kicked Fredrick's right leg, which caused his to fall back. Evan made a quick thrust, which made contact with Fredrick's left side. Fredrick hissed and quickly front-kicked Evan in the face. Evan, not expecting this, was thrown back and he landed on the ground.

Medea, who had been watching, ran over to Evan. She went down on her knees and picked up Evan's head and placed it on her lap. She looked at Fredrick and shouted, "SIR FREDRICK! THAT WAS A HORRIBLE THING TO DO TO EVAN! I SHOULD…"

Medea was silenced by Evan, who was now up, "Medea, I am fine. That was a really great battle," He was now directing it towards Fredrick, "I got you good, didn't I? And that kick, I didn't expect it! It was totally awesome!"

Fredrick chuckled as he held his side, "That was a nice blow kid. That was the first time you ever got me."

Medea gasped, "First time? How long have you been sparring?"

Evan began to think back, "Oh, about a month or two. I forget how long."

"One and a half months." Fredrick stated.

"You two have been fighting for almost two months and Evan has only hurt you once?"

"Well, what do you expect, Medea?" Evan responded, "He is a seasoned soldier. I am only a Soldier-in-Training."

Medea sighed, "Well, yeah, I guess, but still…"

"He has got some real potential. To think that Evan made a scratch on me at only 10 years old. I wonder what he will be like when he gets older."

Evan blushed at the compliment, "Well, I don't know about that. I mean, I'll never be as strong as Ivan."

Fredrick just shrugged, "Who knows, maybe. I think you would make a great adventurer some day."

Evan scoffed, "Puh-lease! Why would I ever want to leave the castle! I mean, it's not like the castle is going to be attacked and I am the only one that manages to escape and I have to go on this ridiculously long quest that takes forever and I just go in circles for a while until finally when I think I saved the castle, I really didn't and then there is more questing and I have to save someone really super powerful and that person is able to help me defeat the true enemy and we clash swords in an epic final battle!"

Medea giggled, "Yeah, and I would turn into something, like a horse."

Evan laughed as well, "Yeah, and Trode is turned into something ugly and he couldn't enter any towns."

"Yeah, and you have the strangest of traveling companions."

Fredrick watched as they discussed the thought of "Evan's Quest", he walked back to the barracks. Anyone with eyes could tell that there was a budding romance going on between the two since day one. Fredrick chuckled to himself as he entered the barracks. Thomas saw him come in and noticed the cut on his side.

"Evan is getting strong, isn't he?" Thomas inquired.

Fredrick nodded, "Very strong. Soon, he will be able to clash with Captain Ivan."

Thomas sighed, "Yeah. We still don't know where he came from, but we do know that he has fighting in his blood."

"That's for sure." Fredrick agreed as he sat down, "Now hand me some whisky!"

Evan and Medea stopped talking about "Evan's Quest" and started to talk about their respective lives at the castle. Medea talked about her princess duties and Evan talked about his soldier training. They did this every month around this time. Due to their tasks, they couldn't sit under the tree and talk every week like they used to, so they could only talk once a month. It was very hard on their friendship, but they were able to see each other. They continued to talk until Medea said something that shocked Evan.

"Hey Evan, I was wondering. Could you take me to Farebury?"

Evan's eyes widened, "Farebury? Why would you want to go there?"

"Well, I never went outside the castle before and I just want to see Farebury."

Evan sighed, "I don't know, Medea. I could, and probably will get in a lot of trouble from Ivan and your father. And what happens if we get lost?"

Medea then put her pout on, "But Evan! Pwease! Just this once and I will never ask you to take me anywhere for as long as I live!"

Evan sighed and shook his head. Medea's eyes began to tear up. Evan tried to resist, but with each second, it got harder and harder. Finally, Medea began to cry. And with that, Evan was broken, "Alright, alright. I'll take you. Just please stop crying."

Instantly, Medea stopped crying and jumped up and down, "YAY! Thank you Evan! I'll go get ready and meet you out here in a half hour." She practically ran to the castle building. Evan just sighed. He had just been duped by Medea.

Evan had nothing to pack for himself, but he went into the kitchen and stole some sandwiches for Medea and himself. After that, he waited for 20 minutes until Medea finally came out. She didn't look any different.

"Why did you want to go in?" Evan asked, "You don't look any different."

Medea huffed, "Shows what you know! Look closely."

Evan did as he was told. He looked closely, but saw no difference. He continued to stare at it until he noticed something. Her white gown was now a very light pink.

"You wore a pink dress? But I don't understand why. It looks the same to me."

"Men have no sense of fashion what so ever." Medea sighed.

Evan just shook his head and led the way out of the castle grounds. As they left, they headed to their right, towards the forest. After a while of walking, Medea wanted to stop of have lunch. Evan gave Medea one of the two sandwiches he stole. As they ate, Medea marveled at the forest. Evan then told her about how Ivan took him here and left him stranded from a month. He had to get his own food and survive until Ivan found him.

"A Month?" Medea asked, shocked by Evan's revelation, "What did you do for food?"

Evan shrugged, "I ate some fish from a stream somewhere and I ate a few rabbits."

Medea looked appalled and grossed out at the same time, "You..._ate _a rabbit. But…they are so cute and furry."

"I had to, Medea!" Evan argued, "I was getting sick of fish, so I had to eat the rabbits. In this world, it is eat or be eaten. But don't worry, I'll protect you. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to become a soldier."

Medea blushed. _Evan wants to protect me?_ She thought, _but…as a friend or…more?_

Evan noticed Medea blushed and asked, "Hey, your face is red. Are you feeling okay?"

Medea turned a brighter shade of red, "N-n-o! Everything's f-fine. W-why do y-you ask?"

Evan shrugged yet again, "I don't know, just wondering." Evan then finished his sandwich in one bit and stood up. He held out his hand to Medea and she took it and he helped her to her feet. They continued along until they got to a fork in the road. Evan looked at the map, "Strange…this path doesn't seem to be on this map."

"I say we go right!" Medea said.

"Maybe we should turn back." Evan suggested, knowing that if they got lost, Trode would have his head on a silver platter.

"No! This way! Come on!" Medea yelled as she ran down the path. Evan had no choice but to follow her. He only hoped that this was the right way.

It was official; they were lost in the woods. Medea apologized profusely, but Evan forgave her every time. Things were getting worse. Night was fast approaching. The castle guards would know that both Evan and Medea were missing. And Evan was going to be in HUGE trouble when, or if, he got back. Evan and Medea walked along the path until suddenly, Evan heard a crack. Evan instantly stopped. Medea noticed this and said, "Why did you stop?"

Evan silenced her and whispered, "There is something in the forest. Stand still."

Evan turned face the foe. Out of the bushes leapt 5 slimes. They rushed at Evan and he blocked, but the force from the slimes attack caught Evan off balance and he was thrown back into Medea who stumbled and fell off of the path, down into the deep, dark forest. She screamed for Evan, but Evan was too busy fighting the slimes. Evan tried his best, but the slimes were too much for him and he was thrown off the ledge, into the darkness. Evan only hoped that Medea was okay.


	6. Chapter 5

As Evan tumbled down the hill, he lost all sense of direction. He couldn't tell up from down or left from right. A few times, Evan landed on a rock, which cut his skin, but Evan didn't care anymore. The only thing on Evan's mind was finding Medea. As he continued to tumbled, he tried to grab on to something, anything that was sturdy enough to stop him. He grabbed on to something and held on to it with a death grip. Unfortunately, the force of the sudden stop jerked Evan down and a sharp pain erupted in his right shoulder. Evan hissed through the pain as he continued to hold on. Finally, he came to a stop. He sat up and looked at his surroundings. He was sitting on a 50 degree downward slope. He tried to look for Medea, but it was no use, it was pitch black. Evan looked around for a piece of wood. He saw a chunk of wood nearby and he reached to grab it, but his right arm stung, so he had to grab it with his left arm. When he obtained it, he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a match and a small cloth. He placed the cloth on the end of the stick and used the vine that he was holding on to for holding the cloth in place. He lit the match and he lit the cloth on fire, making a make-shift torch. Now he got a better look of his surroundings.

It was still dark, but now he could see a lot better. He saw that he was surrounded by trees, but that was about it. He couldn't see the bottom or anything to his left or right. Evan squinted, trying to see how far the bottom was, but it was no use. Evan knew that he had to let go of the vine and fall to get to the bottom. Evan sighed, and let go of the vine. Evan swiftly rushed towards the bottom. Evan soon saw the bottom and he pressed his boots down into the ground, which slowed his decent. Evan made it to the bottom and could no longer see the top of the large slop. Evan looked around, but Medea was nowhere in sight. Evan then saw a small white cloth. Evan rushed over to it. There was no mistaking, it was Medea's. Evan looked around and called out for her, but it was no use. She had gone. Evan fell to the ground.

"It's no use!" He cried out, "I can't find her. I shouldn't have waited. Then, maybe I would have found her."

He suddenly felt something moving around in his pocket. He reached in and out came Munchie. Evan's eyes widened, "MUNCHIE!" He exclaimed, "Munchie, Medea is missing and I need you to find her." He held out Medea's cloth in front of Munchie and Munchie sniffed it. After a few seconds of sniffing, he went and sniffed the air. Evan slowly began to lose hope, until Munchie leapt from his hand and began to run off in the opposite direction. Evan got up and followed him.

Evan followed Munchie for a couple of minutes until he heard some rustling in the bushes. He turned around and saw some slimes. Evan grew angry.

"You!" He growled, "You're the reason we are in this predicament!"

Suddenly, this purple glow began to surround him. He rushed at the slimes and slashed them with his sword. He one of them in half and the slime disappeared. He looked at the other slimes, which were now backing away slowly. Evan charged at them and easily disposed of them. When they were destroyed, the faint glow vanished. Evan turned to Munchie, who was waiting patiently for him. Munchie then ran as Evan followed. Soon, Munchie stopped. Evan looked around, but there was nothing here. Evan looked at Munchie, who was standing in front of a rock, blocked by a large pile of leaves. Evan quickly brushed them away and his heart leapt. Medea was in there. When Medea saw Evan, she jumped up and hugged Evan. Evan wasn't expecting this, so they both fell over.

"Evan!" Medea cried, "I-I thought I was going t-to d-die!"

Evan blushed, but hugged her back. Soon, Medea's tears stopped and Medea realized the position they were both in. Evan was lying on the ground, and Medea was lying on top of him, their faces only two inches apart. Both Evan and Medea blushed and Medea shot up, but as she did, she whimpered. Evan instantly stopped blushing, sat up and looked at her to see what the problem was. Evan saw her clutching her leg. Evan gently reached over and lifted her hand. Her ankle was black and blue.

"How?" Evan inquired.

"F-from the fall." Medea answered in a small voice, "I-Is it broken?"

Evan shook his head, "I don't know, maybe. But, just to be safe, we need a splint."

"How are we going to get it? There are no medical supplies around."

Evan gave a weak smile, "Don't worry. I can make one. Hold on to the torch while I find something I can use."

Evan got up and he looked around. He saw another large branch. He picked it up and brought it over to Medea. He held it up to her leg and measured it. He cut off the excess height with his sword. Now, he began to carve it into a smooth board. When he was finished, he grabbed some vines from the ground and tied the board around Medea's leg. Looking at his finished work, he gave a sigh.

"There. That should hold. It's not an actual splint, but it will do."

"E-Evan," She said, "I am s-sorry. This is all my fault. I should have listened to you."

Evan shook his head, "No, it's mine. I am your guard; I should have protected you better."

Medea wiped the tears from her eyes, "N-no! If I hadn't forced you to take me to Farebury in the first place, then I wouldn't have need protection!"

"But I was the one who agreed to take you. And if I had been paying attention, then I wouldn't have knocked you back into the ledge and you wouldn't have fallen off!"

Medea sighed, "I guess we both share the blame. But how are we going to get out of here?"

Evan stood up and held out his hand, "Well, due to your leg, I'll have to carry you."

Medea smiled and grabbed his hand. Evan bent down and Medea jumped on to his back. Evan grabbed both of her legs and he grabbed the torch. He then looked up.

"What are you doing?" Medea asked.

"When we were coming here, the sun was setting in front of use, so we were heading west. So the castle is east. We just have to follow the direction of the moon."

Medea smiled, "Wow. You know, Evan, you are really smart."

Evan blushed, "Well, yeah, I guess."

Evan spotted the moon it was somewhat in front of him. Evan then headed in that direction. They continued walking for 20 minutes. Evan was getting tired. He hadn't slept for almost a day, but he knew that he couldn't stop now. He had to get back to the castle and get Medea to safety. He continued on, stumbling once in a while. Medea's grip on him tightened. She was beginning to get worried. She hated being useless. She wanted to help Evan, not slow him down. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a pair of red eyes with yellow pupils staring at her. She looked at Evan, who didn't even notice them. She nudged Evan, but he kept on walking. The eyes began to move closer. The eyes then widened and they leapt from the bushes. Medea screamed and Evan instinctively drew his sword and he came face-to-face with a Bunicorn.

"Damn!" Evan swore, "How did I miss that."

Medea let go of Evan and she fell back. Evan looked back at her, but she pointed at the creature. Evan turned and barely managed to block it. Its horn and Evan's blade clashed. Evan swiped at the Bunicorn, but it dodged and lunged at Evan. Evan sidestepped, but the Bunicorn was too fast and its horn cut Evan right arm. Evan grunted and attacked the Bunicorn, but it easily dodged all of his attacks. Evan was starting to get mad. Medea noticed the purple aura start to appear around Evan. The Bunicorn noticed to, because it lunged at Evan.

Something then happened. To Evan, it felt like the world began to slow down. The normally fast Bunicorn was now running at him in slow motion. Evan didn't care how or why this was happening, but he used this opportunity to attack. With all of his might, he swung at the Bunicorn and made contact with its horn. With a loud sound, Evan's sword broke the horn into two pieces. Evan spun around and stabbed the Bunicorn in the side. It let out a loud cry, but is still lunged at Evan and bit him on his left shoulder. Evan cried out in pain.

Evan and the Bunicorn fell backwards. Evan tried to get his sword out, but it was stuck in the Bunicorn. His vision began to blur, but Evan felt something on his left hand. He grabbed it and noticed it was the Bunicorn's horn. In a last ditch effort, he traded it off to his right hand and stabbed the Bunicorn with all of his might. He took it out and stabbed it again and again and again. Tears began to appear in Medea's eyes. She was scared. Scared that the Bunicorn was hurting Evan. Scared that Evan was losing a lot of blood. Scared that Evan was brutally stabbing the Bunicorn to death. Evan continued to stab, until he let out a loud battle cry and with one final stab, plunged the horn into the Bunicorn's head. The Bunicorn let out a loud cry, and then slumped over.

Evan was now breathing heavily. He let go of the horn, still inside the Bunicorn's hear and he pushed the corpse off. He stood up and looked down at his clothes. They were blood stained. He looked at his hand and they were covered in blood as well. Evan looked at the corpse. He began to shake as realization hit him like a slap in his face. He had killed the Bunicorn. Evan had taken away something's life. Evan fell to his knees and tears fell from his eyes.

"I…." He whispered, "I….killed…..it….I...killed the….Bunicorn."

Suddenly, voices began to appear. Evan was too shocked to notice them, but Medea did. She called out for them. Soon, the voices got louder and soon, light began to appear. It was Trodain's guards. Thomas came into view.

"Oh, thank the goddess. I thought you two were…" Thomas never got to finish the sentence. He saw Medea, on the ground, covered in mud, clutching a torch and her leg. He saw Evan, covered in blood, shaking uncontrollably. He saw a dead Bunicorn, covered in blood and beaten to a pulp. Thomas ran down the hill at blaring speed. Fredrick and Ivan soon followed. Thomas and Fredrick ran over to Medea and Ivan went over to Evan.

"Kid." Ivan said, "Hey, Kid. Kid…Evan! Hey, say something!"

Evan mumbled something, but it was inaudible.

"Speak up." Fredrick asked.

Evan said something a little louder, but no one could make it out.

"Evan, please, what's wrong." Ivan asked in a gentle voice.

"Killed…it" Evan managed to say.

"Killed it?" Thomas asked, "You massacred it!"

"Shut up Tom!" Fredrick hissed, "Can't you see that Evan is distraught?"

It was true. Evan was crying and shaking. The shock from killing the Bunicorn had left him paralyzed. Ivan sighed. He realized that Evan may be a soldier-in-training, but he was still a 10 year old boy. He had never killed anything this big, let alone stabbed it until its blood was all over the place. Ivan picked him and threw him over his shoulder. He motioned for Fredrick and Thomas to follow and Fredrick hoisted Medea and held her bridal style. They walked up the path until they made it to the wagon. Ivan and Fredrick placed Medea and Evan in the back and the three soldiers hopped on their horses and set off for the castle. Thomas' horse was strapped to the wagon, so he proceeded slower than the others. In the wagon, Evan was still in shock. Tears slipped down his face and he was still shaking. Medea noticed this and sat next to him. She took in hand and held it in her own. Evan stopped shaking and looked over to Medea. She smiled and put a hand behind his head and pulled it to her shoulder. Evan then wept on her dress. Medea didn't even care. All she wanted to do was comfort him.

After 10 minutes in the wagon, they came to a stop. Thomas hopped off his horse and opened the back of the wagon. He saw Medea holding Evan. He felt bad for the kid. He had witnessed the killing. Sure, he had killed things, but never to such an extent. Thomas guessed that it died in the beginning of the stabbing, but Evan was too wrapped up in defending himself to notice. Suddenly, loud shouts erupted behind Thomas. He turned around and saw Trode rushing out of the castle and to the wagon.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" He cried out as he ran towards the wagon, "WHERE IS MEDEA? AND THE BOY WHO TOOK HER? I SHOULD…" He stopped as he looked into the wagon. He saw Medea holding Evan and sobbing. He looked to Thomas, who looked away, "What has happened?"

"They were attacked by a Bunicorn." Ivan said.

"Is Evan…?" Trode paused, knowing Ivan knew what he meant.

"No. He killed the Bunicorn. In fact, he stabbed it until it was turned into a bloody pulp."

Trode's eyes widened, "Killed it? But he is only a boy! He shouldn't be able to deal with those until he is older.

Ivan nodded, "I know. They are rabid creatures. Evan really must have fighting instincts. I will have to ask him when he wakes up, but for now, we must take him to the infirmary."

Thomas and Fredrick climbed in the wagon and took Evan out of Medea's hands. He was asleep. They noticed that he had gotten tears and blood onto her dress. They climbed out and they took him to the infirmary. Medea then climbed out and began to walk after them, but Trode stopped her.

"Medea." He said in a fatherly voice, "Please, you mustn't go after him."

Tears were beginning to appear in her eyes, "But Father, I am the reason why we were attacked. Please, he needs me….please…."

Trode sighed and he let her go. Medea ran after them. She didn't care about her leg. It could break in two for all she cared. She needed to be by Evan's side. Medea entered the infirmary and she went over to Evan's bed. The doctor began to take off Evan's clothes. Medea blushed and looked away. He stripped Evan until he was in his underwear, which was a pair of boxers. He cleaned off the blood and inspected him. There was a cut on his right arm, his left side and his left shoulder. The doctor took bandages and wrapped them up. The doctor then placed a blanket on him. He turned to Medea and saw the make-shift splint on her leg.

"What's happened to you?" The doctor asked.

"I, uh, may have broken my leg." She replied.

The doctor picked her up and placed her on the other bed. He took of the splint and inspected her leg. Medea whimpered and hissed a few times. The doctor placed her leg down and said, "Thankfully, you have just sprained it, but you will have to spend the next day or two here."

"I'll stay as long as Evan is here." She said. She wasn't asking, she was announcing.

The doctor nodded, "Fine. I am going to tell your father and Ivan about my analysis. You stay here and keep an eye on him."

Medea agreed and waited until the doctor was gone to swing her legs to the side of the bed facing Evan. She saw him sitting back, staring at the ceiling, "Oh, you're awake." She said.

"I never was asleep." Evan said in a monotone voice.

Medea then hopped out of her bed and climbed into his. Evan then sat up, but with great pain. He was about to ask what she was doing, but she hugged him. Evan's eyes widened, but then they fell. He hugged her back. Medea pulled away and gave Evan a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for saving me, Evan." She said.

Evan looked down at the ground, "But…I killed that Bunicorn."

Medea placed her hand on his right shoulder, "You had to do it Evan. It was going to kill us. It was either him or us."

Evan weakly smiled, "I guess you're right, Medea."

"I always am!" She said.

"But didn't _you_ get us lost in the forest?" Evan retorted, with a smile on his face.

Medea blushed, "Oh, yeah. I guess I did.

Evan just chuckled, "I'm going to bed." He announced.

As he was laying down, Medea blurted, "What was that purple aura?"

Evan looked at her oddly, "Purple Aura? What are you talking about?"

"There was this purple aura that surrounded you when you fought the…Bunicorn."

Evan placed his hand on his chin and thought back, "I don't remember a purple aura. But when I was fighting the…Bunicorn…I remember that everything seemed to slow down, and I seemed to act on instinct. Maybe that's what the purple aura was, but I'm not sure. I'll ask Ivan."

Medea nodded and climbed out of Evan's bed and went into her own. She turned to Evan and said, "Evan, I l…" But Evan was already asleep. She smiled, "Goodnight, Evan. My knight in shining armor." Medea then rested her head against the pillow and welcomed sleep like an old friend.


	7. Chapter 6

Evan sighed. He didn't get an ounce of sleep last night. Evan ran his fingers through his hair for what seemed like the hundredth time. This happened to him a few times before. Once was when he was told by Ivan that he was going to start training. He was 8 at the time. The second time is when he killed the Bunicorn. That was 2 years ago. He was shaken up by the whole experience. Medea was as well. She didn't show it, because as a princess, she had to be strong and not show any emotion, but in her room, when she was all alone, when she didn't have to be strong for anybody, she cried. Evan knew this secret. One day, about two weeks after the incident, when he was returning from training, he heard Medea crying. Evan wanted to go into her room and make her feel better, but Evan knew that she wanted to be alone. From that day on, Evan trained twice as hard. Not for his sake, but for Medea's. He never wanted her to be scared again. All of the soldiers noticed the sudden change in Evan's attitude. He wasn't the same boy as he was before. No longer was he overly excited, oblivious, short-tempered Evan. He was now more serious, aware, and collected. Whenever he was questioned as to why he had changed, Evan just shrugged and said, "Because I feel like it."

Evan let out a deep sigh and climbed out of bed. Evan walked over to the window and opened up the curtains. Bright light shone into his room and temporarily blinded him. When he eyes adjust to the light, he opened up the doors and stepped out onto the balcony. He took a deep breath and let the sea air fill up his nostrils. He exhaled and leaned on the railing. He looked at the sea. Sure, he had seen the sea many timed before, but he had never touched it. Never was in it. Evan felt as though he was meant for great things. But what greatness could a 12 year old do? He pushed off from the railing and went back inside. He went over to his dressed and picked up his bandana. He tied it around his head and picked up his sword. He tied it around his waist and looked in the mirror. Then, he realized something. He was 12 years old. He had been at the castle for 4 years.

"Wow." Evan marveled, "How time flies by. Seems like only yesterday that I woke up in the infirmary."

Evan was broken out of his trance by the sound of music. He looked around to find out where the music was coming from. He walked out of the door and down the hall. As Evan went further down the corridors, the music got louder. Evan could make it out. It was coming from a piano. Evan knew where the piano was located. Medea had shown it to him a long time ago. Evan wanted to play it, but he was horrible at it. Medea said that he had no musical talent. Evan chuckled at the memory and continued until he came to the room where the music was coming from. Evan quietly opened the door. Inside, there was Medea, sitting on the bench, playing the piano, and slowly saying to the side.

Evan stood in the doorway, listening to Medea play. She was actually very good. After a few minutes, she stopped playing. Evan decided that now was the appropriate time to speak, "That was a nice song."

Medea jumped. She turned around and saw Evan standing in the doorway, with a grin on his face, "E-Evan." She said, her face bright red, "W-what are y-you doing here?"

"Well, I was in my room when I heard you playing, so I decided to follow the sound. Then, I came here and listened to you play." Evan explained.

Medea was still red, "Y-you were here for the entire song?"

Evan shook his head, "No. I was only here for a few minutes. Why? Was there something at the beginning of the song?"

Medea turned even redder, if that was possible, "N-n-no. There wasn't anything. Just…I wanted to keep it a secret."

Evan frowned, "Secret? Why would you keep that secret? It was a nice song."

Medea hung her head low, "Well, Dad doesn't want me to take lessons. He doesn't think I should waste my time on something like this. But…I just love playing the piano so much, I…taught myself. Please! Don't tell my father! Please Evan!"

Evan walked over to her and sat beside her, "Why would I do that? I would never turn you in. We're friends! Friends don't betray each other. If it wasn't for you, then I wouldn't even be here in the first place. I have no reason to tell Trode."

Medea smiled, "Sorry. I just…panicked. Thanks for cheering me up." She leaned over and gave Evan a kiss on the cheek. Evan blushed and rubbed the spot where the kiss was located.

"It…It was nothing." Evan mumbled, "But I would like to hear an entire song."

Medea smiled, "Well, I guess I _do_ owe you for cheering me up. So I'll play a song, just for you."

Evan smiled back at her and stood up from the bench and went to stand by the wall. Evan watched Medea. She sat up straight and closed her eyes. Then, he pushed down on the keys and sound resonated out of the piano. She continued to play. Evan stood there; marveling at Medea's playing capabilities. Evan wondered when she had time to practice. Sure, they saw each other in the halls, and sometimes at dinner, and once in a while, they passed each other in the hall. But she told him that she didn't have any time. _Was that just a lie to cover up her secret practices?_ Evan thought. _But…either way, she plays very nice._

After a few minutes of playing, Medea then played the last note. As the sound vanished, Evan began to clap. Medea stood up and curtsied.

"Why, Princess Medea, that was simply _marvelous_" Evan said, in a false snobbish voice, "We simply _must_ do this again sometime."

Medea giggled, but then began to talk in the same voice as Evan, "Why, Evan, that sounds just divine."

Both Evan and Medea tried to keep straight faces, but soon, they broke down, laughing. After a while, they caught their breaths and sat down on the bench. They both looked at each other. They stared at each other a long time, but they both turned away, as blushes appeared on both of their faces. They hesitantly looked at each other again. Medea broke the silence.

"You know, Evan." She said in a small voice, "You look cute."

Evan blushed, but didn't look away this time, "And you look very…nice, yourself."

Medea raised an eyebrow, "Nice? Just nice?"

Evan began to get flustered, "Well, no, not nice, but, uh, I guess…pretty. Yeah, you look pretty."

They both smiled and blushed at each other. Soon, the smiles disappeared and they slowly began to lean in. Medea then began to close her eyes. Evan's mind was beginning to go blank.

_What the HELL are you doing?!_ Evan's mind yelled. _You are 12! You can't have a relationship with Medea!_

_Ivan told us once that you are as old as you think you are._ Evan's heart countered. _We love Medea. And she loves us. Doesn't she? I mean, Evan's going in for the kiss._

_LOVE?! How can Evan be in love?! He is 12; he is too young for that kind of emotion._

_Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'You have to follow your heart'?_

_I don't think that this is the time for quotes. We have to use logic in this situation._

_EMOTIONS AREN'T LOGICAL! THEY CAN ONLY BE EXPERIANCED WITH THE HEART!_

_Will both of you just SHUT UP! _Evan yelled. _I can handle this on my own._

They began to lean closer and closer. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Evan and Medea both jumped away from each other. They looked at the door, which was now on the floor. Where the door once stood, Ivan filled the space. He had flames in his eyes and was breathing smoke.

"KID! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS?"

Before Evan could answer, Ivan ran over to him and grabbed him by his shirt collar and threw him out of the room and into the wall. Medea was startled. Ivan then slowly walked out of the room and picked up the body of Evan and dragged his unconscious body away from the room.

"Just for that, Kid, I am going to work you until your arms are jelly and your legs are broken."

And with that, Ivan was gone. Medea didn't know if Ivan was kidding or not, but something in the back of her head told her that he wasn't. Ivan was a very aggressive man and when he didn't get what he wanted, all hell would break loose. This explosion was similar to Evan's second day of training. He overslept and Ivan broke into his room and practically destroyed Evan's room to get to him. After the fight, he dragged Evan to the barracks. Every time Ivan snapped, it seemed to involve Evan in some way.

Medea blushed at the thought of Evan. The truth was, she expressed her feeling for Evan at the beginning of her first song. She was glad that Evan wasn't there to here. But then she wondered what would have happened if Ivan hadn't interrupted them. Would they have kissed? And afterwards, where would they stand? Friends? Friends with Benefits? Boyfriend/Girlfriend? Medea decided to cross that bridge when, or if, it came. For now, she was happy as Evan's friend. She just needed to wait for the right time.

_Time…_ Medea mused, _Time…Wait, Time? OH, NO! Dad is going to wake me soon! I have to get back. _Medea jumped up from the bench and ran back to her room at lightning speed.


	8. Chapter 7

Evan awoke to a loud crash. Jumping up, on instinct, he quickly looked around to see where the crash came from. He saw the door, which was now located on the floor, and he saw Ivan standing where the door used to reside. Evan's eyes widened and he began to slowly walk backwards.

"I-Ivan!" He yelp, surprised, "W-What are y-you doing here? Did I oversleep? I don't think that I was supposed to be training today. But if you think so, then it is perfectly fine. I mean, you are the Captain here and I am just-"

"Kid, shut up for one minute and I will explain." Ivan interrupted.

Evan instantly shut up and waited for the answer, which didn't come. Evan looked at Ivan, who was looking at him up and down. Evan hesitantly looked down and, to his dismay, realized that he was standing in the middle of his room in just his underwear. Heat began to rush to his face as covered himself. It was the summer and Evan's room was one of the hottest rooms in the entire castle, so he always slept in his underwear, but he didn't realize that he would be in this situation. _This can't get any worse_, He thought. Unfortunately, it did.

"Is everything alright?" A voice asked, "I heard a crash and screaming and…" Medea came into view. She saw Evan, her best friend/secret crush, standing there half-naked and Ivan standing on a broken door. She began blushed, squealed and quickly covered her eyes. Evan's face got even redder and he dove under the safety of his own covers.

"Oh, I am sorry! I didn't realize that…Well…Uh…" Medea quickly turned around and ran from the room and back into her own.

Ivan, who, during the entire episode, tried to keep a straight face, suddenly broke out in a loud, bellowing laugh. Evan poked his head from the covers and yelled, "IVAN! WHAT THE HELL! I WAN'T AN EXPLANATION!"

Ivan soon stopped laughing, but he was still chuckling, "Well, you see. I had something important to tell you, so I want you to come down to the barracks as soon as you get dressed."

"But couldn't you tell me now? I mean, it could save you all of the trouble of waiting." Evan said.

Ivan shook his head, "Well, I could, but I think that I should give you time to…sort out your problems." And with that, Ivan left.

"The least you could do is fix my door!" Evan called after him, but Ivan was already long gone. Evan sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Ivan always did this to him. And he always did it in front of Medea. Evan knew that Ivan knew about his crush on Medea. Ivan knew it from the moment Evan had realized it. Every chance he got, Ivan always embarrassed Evan. There was this one time that where Evan and Medea were walking together. Ivan had thrown a rock at him, which made him lose focus and he tripped and he fell on top of Medea. They both were blushing and Evan knew it was Ivan, due to laughter from the bushes. There was also another time where Evan and Medea decided to sneak into the kitchen to steal some food. Of course, Ivan was waiting there and had left a banana peel on the floor. Evan tripped on it, but he remembered the last time he tripped, so he grabbed onto the counter. Unfortunately, he grabbed onto a cutting board, which flew from the counter. It had a pot of water on top of it, so the water went everywhere, including Medea's dress, which just happened to be white. Evan's face was so red, it made tomatoes look pale.

Evan quickly got dressed and tried to fix his door, but Ivan had knocked it off of its hinges. Evan let out a loud sigh and stepped over the door. _Someone will fix it_, Evan reassured himself. Evan decided to go talk to Medea, to try and remedy the situation. He walked to her room and knocked on the door. He heard a squeal and some footsteps. He saw the doorknob turn and the door opened. Medea's head poked out and Evan realized that she was still a little red.

"E-Evan!" Medea said, "Um…Hi."

Evan sighed, "Look, Medea. I know that you saw me in my underwear, but I didn't want to be! It was Ivan. See, he is always doing stuff to me like that, and I guess, well, um, that you reacted like anyone should. I mean, if I heard a crash, I would go and try to find where it came from, so I guess I am not…"

Medea put a finger up to Evan's lips, "It's okay. I understand. It wasn't your fault. I was just…surprised."

Evan smiled. Medea was always an understanding person. That was one of the many things that he loved about her. She had a kind personality. She was always trying to help everyone, no matter who it was. He was very care-free and fun to be with. She wasn't a snob, like most princesses. In fact, she didn't like being a princess sometimes. She wanted to be a regular girl and do regular things. But Evan knew that she also had some flaws. She was stubborn and very adventurous. These characteristics had almost gotten them killed when she forced Evan to take her to Farebury. Even with her flaws, Evan still liked her for her.

"Well, now that we got that over with, I have to go see Ivan. He said that he had something important to tell me." Evan said.

"Alright. I'll see you later?" she asked.

Evan nodded, "Defiantly!" And then Evan left.

"Well, that went better than expected." Evan said to himself, _But I wonder what Ivan wanted to tell me. Usually he just waits until I wander down to the barracks, but he came directly to me._ Evan didn't think too hard about and he walked down to the barracks and opened the door.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNN!" Thomas yelled as Evan walked into the barrack. He jumped up and ran towards Evan. Evan saw this and he quickly got out of the way. Thomas then ran face first into the door. Thomas sank to the ground and clutched his nose.

"Okay," Evan asked, "Who the hell let Tom drink?"

"Hey!" Thomas jumped up, "Today, I actually have an excuse to drink."

Evan looked at him questioningly, "Really? What is it?"

Thomas shook his head, "Nope! Can't tell you. The boss wants to though. Oh, and he said something about nudity, but I am to wasted to remember."

The infamous blush returned to Evan's face, but this time to a lesser extent, "Oh…well…Where is Ivan?"

"In his room." Fredrick answered, "I'll handle Tom."

Evan nodded and walked up the stairs and came upon Ivan's room. He knocked on the door and Ivan told him to enter. Evan hesitantly opened the door and walked in. He looked around and inspected the room. In all of his 6 years of living in the castle, he never entered Ivan's room before. In his room, there was a bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, a desk and a small window. Ivan was peering out of the window. Evan stood and waited for Ivan to address him. A full minute passed, but Ivan still peered out of the window.

"Do you know what day it is?" Ivan suddenly asked.

Evan snorted, "What kind of question is that? It's Sunday."

Ivan sighed, "No, I mean what's so important about this day."

Evan shook his head, but realized that Ivan couldn't see him, so he said, "I don't know."

"It is the day before you began your knight training. In other words, it is the day I told you I was going to take you under my wing and teach you everything about being a soldier."

Evan's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about it. He was never good with remembering dates. Evan was about to say something, but Ivan beat him to the punch.

"From that day on, I put you through an intense training regimen. A couple of times, I thought that you would give up. But you pulled through. I'm proud of you. You have come far, Evan. And that's why I think that tomorrow; you will no longer be under my wing. No, you will become a full fledge soldier."

Evan just stood there. That was the first time that Ivan had called Evan by his given name. Evan began to feel pride well up inside of him. To have Ivan, the Captain of the Guards, say that he was proud of him made him feel like it was a dream. Sure, Ivan had said 'Good job' and 'Well done', but never before had he said that he was proud of Evan. A smile appeared on Evan's face. Then, suddenly, it sank in. Tomorrow, by this time, he would be a soldier. Not just a soldier-in-training, but an equal to Thomas and Fredrick and everyone else. Now, he would be able to protect Medea, the reason why he became a soldier in the first place. This left Evan in complete shock. Ivan turned around and saw Evan standing there with his eyes wide. He chuckled. He walked over to Evan and patted him on the back and went out the door and down the stairs. Evan stood in Ivan's empty room and let the feeling sink in. Finally, after a few minutes, Evan slowly walked down the stairs.

As Evan entered the main room, he was greeted by cheering. He looked around and saw all of the guards stand, applauding for him. Evan knew that by tomorrow, they were going to be his equals in every way. He looked at Fredrick, who had a grin on his face. He looked at Rolf, another guard who he had made friends with a year ago, laughing and whistling. He looked at Thomas, who looked beaten up. Evan suspected that Ivan had to knock the alcohol out of him. Soon, all of the cheering stopped and Evan took a seat in between Ralf and Fredrick. Ivan stood up and raised a glass of whisky. Soon, everyone, except Thomas, raised their glasses as well.

"To Evan." Ivan simply said. The other soldier responded in the same manner and they all downed their whisky. Even Evan drank some. He had gotten used to it, like Fredrick had said. Suddenly, Thomas got up and walked over to the bar and grabbed a large barrel full of alcohol and snuck up behind Evan. Evan saw all of the soldiers looking above him. He looked and suddenly all of the contents of the barrel were poured on him. He covered his eyes, so none of liquid could get into his eyes. Everyone started to laugh. Evan jumped up and shook his head, spraying everyone with alcohol. Evan then started to laugh along with them. Soon, they all began to engage in their own conversations, and some of them told Evan some of their adventures. As a young kid, Evan was so excited by the stories. Now, as a 14 year old, Evan listened intently to the stories, because Evan knew that he could be in the same situation one day.

Suddenly, Rolf and Fredrick stood up. Evan looked at them and Fredrick motioned for Evan to get up and leave the room. Evan nodded and they both left the room. "Where are we going?" Evan asked as they walked the halls of Trodain. Rolf then spoke, but he didn't turn around.

"How about we spar? You know, for old times' sake?"

Evan chuckled and nodded, "Sure. I could do with something to let out my excitement. So how are we going to do it? I take you on one at a time?"

"How about 2-on-1?" Fredrick suggested.

Evan was shocked by this. He had never fought 2-on-1 before. He was even more shocked that Fredrick suggested it. Fredrick was always nice to Evan and he held back a lot. There were only two times when Fredrick attacked Evan when he wasn't ready. The first was the morning before Evan and Medea left to Farebury. The second time was when Evan had made friends with Rolf and Fredrick beat Evan up right before Rolf's eyes. It seemed strange to hear such a plan coming from his mouth, like someone taking a bite of an apple and having it taste like lemons. Evan decided to voice his confusion.

"You are no longer a kid, Evan." Fredrick began to explain, "So we no longer feel like we have to have the training wheels on. In real life, you will have to fight more than one enemy, so this is good practice."

"But I am going to be a full soldier!" Evan whined, "I shouldn't have to practice!"

Rolf shook his head, "Evan," he began, "Just because you are going to be a full-fledged soldier, it doesn't mean that you just stop practicing. No, you always have to practice, so you won't get rusty and lose on the battlefield."

Evan nodded. He knew that he was going to fight them, one way or another. Evan remained quiet until they got outside. They walked to the normal fighting area was. Each of the fighters stood in a triangle. Evan, Rolf, and Fredrick each drew their swords. They just stood there for a minute, standing perfectly still. Evan's eyes shifted from Fredrick, to Rolf, then back to Fredrick. Evan liked to go on the offensive, but he knew that in order to win this bout, he would have to play it safe and be on defense. All of a sudden, Fredrick rushed towards Evan. Evan noticed this and he easily blocked Fredrick's attack. Fredrick rolled out of the way and suddenly Rolf was there, attacking Evan. Evan didn't have enough time to move out of the way, so he blocked once more. Fredrick attacked Evan's left side. Evan quickly switched his sword position to block Fredrick's attack. Both of the soldiers were putting a lot of force in their swords. Evan's blade slowly began to move towards him. Evan withdrew his sword and ducked. Both of the swords passed over his head. Evan ran through Fredrick's legs. When he was on the other side, he spun around and slashed at Fredrick, only to be blocked by Rolf.

Evan growled. No matter what he did, he just couldn't land a blow on them. When he attacked Fredrick, Rolf would block it and Fredrick would counter, and the same would happen if Evan attacked Rolf. This continued for a few minutes. Soon, Evan was breathing heavily while Rolf and Fredrick were hardly sweating. Soon, Fredrick spoke up.

"Hey, Evan!" He called, "How about we call it a day? You did well for your first 2-on-1 battle. So let's just…"

Fredrick paused. He looked at Evan. His body was shaking. Fredrick looked at Rolf, who shrugged his shoulders. Fredrick directed his gaze back at Evan. Suddenly, a strange, purple aura surround him. Evan's head shot up and Fredrick gasped. Evan's eyes were different. His normal large, brown eyes were now narrow and black. It was as if Evan was a whole other person. Evan gripped his sword and charged at Fredrick with amazing speed. Rolf's eyes widened and he quickly dashed over to help Fredrick. Evan smirked and stopped abruptly. He dashed and slashed at Rolf. Rolf managed to block Evan's attack.

_Shit,_ Rolf cursed,_ What the hell happened. Just a short while ago, we were beating Evan. And now, he was able to get one of us by ourselves. And his last attack…What power! I have never felt such power before_.

Evan began to attack Rolf with a barrage of blows, each one as strong as the last. Rolf continued to block, but he began to grow sluggish. Evan noticed this and with one, powerful sideway's slash, hit Rolf. In a last ditch effort, Rolf blocked Evan's sword, but the power from the blow knocked Rolf down and sent his sword flying. Rolf rolled on the ground and ended up on his back. He was now breathing hard. He slowly lifted his head to see Evan, but now the purple aura was now becoming more prominent. It wasn't faint like before. It was colorful and surrounding Evan like a shell. Rolf's head fell back down with a thud.

"Alright, alright." Rolf grunted, "I submit."

Fredrick just stood there, dumbfounded. Ivan had told Fredrick about the purple aura that surrounded Evan, but he had his doubts. Now, he had proof. This was Evan's true fighting form. Fredrick knew that he couldn't hold back. He would have to go full force if he wanted to defeat Evan. Fredrick smiled. He should fell frightened, or even intimidated, but he actually felt excited. He tightened the grip on his sword. He took in a deep breath and let out a long and loud sigh.

"Well, I am impressed." Fredrick said to Evan, "Look's like I won't have to hold back."

Evan spoke, but it wasn't his normal voice that cracked every once in a while due to puberty. No, it was deeper and harsher, "**Then I guess that I have to try.**"

Fredrick wasn't fazed by this. Before he was trained by Ivan, he had anger issues. If someone even looked at him the wrong way, Fredrick would beat the crap out of the guy. That was until he met Ivan. Ivan had looked at him with disdain and Fredrick challenged Ivan to a battle. Ivan was able to beat Fredrick without having to draw his sword. He was marveled by Ivan's fighting ability. After the defeat, Ivan approached him and offered him to come with him back to Trodain to serve as a guard there. Fredrick agreed almost instantly and left for the castle. Fredrick soon sorted out his anger issues and soon became a deadly opponent. He and Ivan clashed swords every once in a while, and they were evenly matched. Many of the other guards suggested that Fredrick would become the next Captain of the Guards when Ivan quit or died.

Fredrick was brought out of his daydreaming by Evan running towards him with incredible speed. Evan jumped in the air and slashed downwards. Fredrick blocked the blow and spun around tried to stab Evan, but he was able to block the blow. He twisted his sword around and lunged at Fredrick. Fredrick knew he couldn't block, so he took the blow. The blade went into his left rib cage. Fredrick grunted at the blade went in. He let his sword fall to the ground. Then, with all of his might, he punched Evan. Evan, not expecting the blow, flew backwards. He landed on the ground and the aura vanished. Fredrick grunted in pain as he removed the sword in his side. He let it fall to the ground as he fell to his knees.

Evan's eyes returned to normal. He tried to pick himself up, but his whole body was sore. He looked over to Rolf, who was on the floor, exactly where Evan had put him. He looked over to Fredrick, who was on his knees and gripping his left side. Evan gasped and tried to get up, but pain erupted throughout his body. He fell back, but managed to remain sitting up. Suddenly, Ivan came running out. He looked over the battlefield and then looked at Evan, Rolf, and Fredrick. He went over to Fredrick and threw him over his shoulders, much to Fredrick's protests. He then walked over to Evan and lifted him up by the collar and threw him over his shoulder as well. Evan didn't protest. He was too exhausted to do anything.

"I'm sorry Rolf, but you have to get yourself back to the barracks." Ivan said as he carried Fredrick and Evan away.

Rolf lifted his hand in the air and gave the 'ok' symbol. Ivan nodded and proceeded to walk back into the castle. He wasn't headed towards the barracks. He entered the main building and walked through the hallways until he got to the door he wanted. He gently knocked on the door and soon it opened, revealing Medea. She looked at Ivan, then to Fredrick, and finally resting her eyes on Evan. She looked worried.

"Sparring accident." Ivan explained, "Don't worry, though. Evan is doing just fine. All he needs is to rest for the rest of the day and he should be fine by tomorrow."

Medea's expression lessened, but she still looked distressed. Ivan walked into her room and threw Evan onto her bed. When Evan hit the bed, a giant shockwave of pain erupted throughout his body. He hissed as he clutched his body. Ivan just chuckled as he walked out of the room with Fredrick still on his shoulder. Medea shut the door and then looked back at Evan. Evan looked at her and they were silent for a couple of minutes. Evan then decided to break the silence.

"Sorry for doing this to you, Medea." Evan said and he laid his head back onto her pillow, "It's just…well, me, Rolf and Fredrick were sparring and…"

"At the same time?" Medea interrupted.

Evan nodded, "Yeah. It was a 2-on-1 bout and we…"

Medea's eyes widened, "2-on-1! But, both of them are trained soldiers and you are just a trainee!"

"Tomorrow I won't be!" Evan shot back.

Medea looked at him questioningly. Evan then remembered that Medea didn't know about his promotion. Evan slapped himself on the forehead, but soon regretted it as another wave of pain began. Medea saw this and she rushed over to Evan's side. She hopped up on the bed and placed a hand on Evan's shoulder. Evan, pain forgotten, looked at her and noticed that she wasn't very far away from his face. Evan blushed. Medea saw him blush and she giggled, but she also started to blush. They both smiled at each other. Then, slowly, they started to lean in. Both of their faces went expressionless and Medea began to close her eyes. Evan began to shut his eyes when there was a knock on the door.

_Damn!_ Evan thought and they moved apart, _This always happens. Right when we get to the good part._

Medea ran over to open the door and saw Rolf leaning against the wall. He smiled and Medea invited him in. Rolf walked into the room and began to look around. He chuckled as he saw Evan sitting in Medea's pink bed. Evan shook his head, but he also had a grin on his face.

"So Rolf," Evan began to ask, "Why are you here?"

Rolf shrugged his shoulders, "Actually, I am here for two reasons. The first one is I wanted to check up on you."

Evan snorted, "Yeah, I feel fine, but what about you? I kicked your ass pretty hard."

Rolf didn't laugh. His expression was hard, "That was the second reason. I wanted to talk to you about the little fight that we had."

"I can leave if you want." Medea suggested.

Rolf shook his head, "No, you can stay. In fact, I think that you could explain something to me."

Medea was puzzled, "What can I explain to you. I don't know anything about soldiers."

"Have you seen a mysterious, purple aura appear around Evan?"

Medea was about to shake her head, but then she remembered the time when Evan fought the Bunicorn. During the battle, when Evan was losing, the purple aura appeared and Evan was able to win. Medea then nodded, "Yes. I have seen it once."

Evan was confused, "Purple Aura? What are you two talking about?"

Rolf looked surprised, "Wait, do you remember the aura?"

Evan shook his head, "No. I just remember that I was losing and then suddenly, I beat you. Why, did something happen?"

Rolf nodded, "Yes. You were incredible. You moved with such speed and your strikes had such power in them. Are you sure you don't remember?"

Evan thought back to the battle and to the time when he fought the Bunicorn. Evan tried to not think about the incident with the Bunicorn, because it brought back bitter memories, but Evan didn't have time to sulk about the past. He wanted to find out what was happening to him. He remembered that during the fight that the Bunicorn slowed down. During the time, he thought nothing of it, but now he began to wonder. Evan told Rolf about his findings.

"But, I saw you go much faster than you did before." Medea said, "You were like a blur."

Rolf nodded as he took this all in. Finally, he came up with a conclusion, "Well, I have no idea what this power is or where it came from or how you are able to use it, but I came up with two conclusions. The first one is that you activate this power when you know that you can't win the fight. It guess it acts as a last resort, because look at what it did to when you were done using it. The second thing I concluded is that your abilities are doubled. Your strength, your speed, and your fighting instinct are doubled. I guess that's how you fight so well. You know, you really are something else. I can see why Ivan thinks you're ready to be a full soldier."

Medea's eyes widened, "WHAT?!" She exclaimed, "You're getting promoted? And you didn't even tell me?! EVAN! I thought that we were friends."

Evan gulped. Hell hath no fury on a women scorned, "Well, I was going to tell you, but I hit my head and you helped me and the Rolf came in and-"

"NO EXCUSES!" Medea scolded.

Rolf watched as the two bickered back and forth; Medea yelling at Evan for not telling her sooner and Evan trying to give her and excuse. He smiled to himself as he slowly and quietly walked out of the room. He had gotten what he had come for. Now, it was time to report to Ivan about his findings.

******

"There!" Ivan said as he finished wrapping up Fredrick's wound. "That should do it."

Fredrick rolled his shoulder on the same side where his wound was. He chuckled, "Well, this is the first wound that wasn't inflicted by you."

Ivan joined in on the joke, "HA! Well, it was bound to happen. And by Evan! Man, that kid ceases to amaze me."

"I noticed that you have stopped calling him Kid." Fredrick commented.

Ivan shrugged, "Well, he is no longer a kid. And he is going to be a soldier here soon."

"How long has he been here?" Fredrick asked.

"6 years." Ivan responded immediately. He looked at Fredrick with all seriousness and said, "Tell me about his…ability."

"Well," Fredrick began, "At first, he was fighting as anyone should against one opponent, but since there were two of us, and seeing that he never fought two people at the same time, he wasn't able to land a single hit. Then, when we offered to end the match, the purple aura appeared and he was able to beat us. I still don't know anything about this strange power that Evan seems to have, but I have figured out something. This power is just like a power boost. It doesn't give Evan some divine power, but rather it just increases the abilities he has already learned. When he used the power, he didn't fight us at the same time, but rather he fought Rolf, and then me. I wish we can observe that power more."

Suddenly, Rolf came into the room, "Hey, Captain. I did as you asked."

Ivan nodded, "Good."

Fredrick looked puzzled, "Wait, what did Rolf do?"

Rolf smirked, "While you were getting bandaged up, I went to go press the kid for information about the aura."

"What did you find?" Ivan inquired.

Rolf scratched his head, "Well, nothing to important, just that he first used it when he was lost in the woods that one time. And that this mystic aura is kind of a last ditch effort thing, cause his body was in a lot of pain."

Ivan sighed, "We still don't know enough about it to know what exactly what it is." Ivan began to rub his chin, "It is safe to assume that this aura was first activated by either Evan's rage or his survival instinct, or maybe a combination of the both. That, I assume, is the first level of this aura. Now, when he was fighting you two, he fought with the aura, but that didn't work, so he went another step up. That's the second level. Now, what would happen if something, or someone, were to push him beyond that?"

Fredrick shrugged, but then realization struck him, "Wait, Ivan. You don't meant that _you're_ going to fight him?"

Ivan nodded, "Yeah. I am. And I may have to go all out."

Fredrick jumped out of his seat, anger coursing throughout his body, "Ivan, you're mad! YOU'LL KILL THE BOY!"

"Wow, Fredrick," Ivan taunted, "I haven't seen you this angry since when we first met."

"OF COURSE I'M ANGRY!" Ivan shouted, "IF YOU WERE TO GO ALL OUT, THEN EVAN _WILL DIE!_"

Rolf, who had never seen Fredrick get like this before, grabbed onto Fredrick and held him with all his might, "Hey, settle down Fredrick. Hey, man quit it. Calm down."

Finally, Fredrick calmed down. He let out a deep breath. The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Rolf broke the silence, "What's so special about Ivan going all out. I've seen you two spar before and you two are equally matched."

Fredrick shook his head, "If Ivan were to go all out on me, then there is no doubt in my mind that I would die. If I were to survive, then the Goddess would be very, _very_ generous."

Rolf whistled, "Are you that good, Captain?"

Ivan smirked, "I don't know, Rolf. Would you care to find out?"

Rolf chuckled, "No thanks! I prefer to have my head."

Ivan stood up, "Well, you'll see it tomorrow. Oh, and Fredrick, don't worry. I will only kill Evan if the need arises." And with that, Ivan left the room.

Fredrick just sat there, dumbfounded. For Ivan to be unsure of whether or not Evan could kill him shook him to the very core. Even though Fredrick was against the idea of Ivan going all out, he wanted to see what Evan was truly capable of.

******

Evan woke before dawn. He didn't get much sleep, because he was too excited. Today, he was going to be a full-fledged soldier. He decided that a walk would clear his head. He hopped out of bed and got dressed and walked outside onto the grounds. He walked the entire length of the castle, which took him a good 15 minutes. As he neared the cliff that overlooked the ocean, he stood there and took a long, deep breath and smelled the salt water air. Evan hardly ever felt at peace. He only ever felt it when he first looked out the balcony of his room and saw the ocean for the first time, whenever Medea hugged him, and now. He smiled and walked back into his room. He climbed into his bed and suddenly, he slipped into slumber.

Evan heard a knock on his door. He slowly opened his eyes and walked over to the door, which was fixed. At the door was Medea, with a tray of food in her hands.

"Good Morning!" Medea greeted, "I made you breakfast."

"Thank you," Evan said. He took the tray from her hands and told her, "Come in."

She smiled as she slipped past Evan and went to his bed. She jumped on it and laid on her back. Evan brought the tray to the bed and he climbed on and started to eat it. The meal was comprised of two eggs, toast with butter, a sausage, some bacon, and a glass of orange juice. Evan's mouth watered as he began to eat, or in his case, pile food into his mouth. He stopped eating to breathe, and he noticed Medea staring at him. He blushed and swallowed the food in his mouth.

"Want some?" He offered.

Medea giggled and nodded. With his fork, he picked up piece of egg and fed it to her. He then picked up a piece of sausage and ate it himself. This process continued until there was only one piece left. Evan and Medea both looked at each other.

"You have it." Evan offered.

Medea shook her head, "No, you have it. I made it for you."

"Yeah but, as the recipient of this food, I can do whatever I wish with this, and I chose to give it to you."

Medea huffed, but suddenly smirked, "As Princess of Trodain, I decree that Evan will eat the last piece of egg from this day forth."

Evan sighed. He hated when she used her status as a princess to make him do things that he didn't want to. Evan then stabbed the egg with his fork and ate it. Medea crossed her arms and smirked at her victory. Evan took the tray and left it by the door. He went back to the bed and hopped on. Suddenly, and idea popped into his head. He slowly turned to Medea, who was staring at him, and poked her side. She gasped and jumped back. Evan gave a devilish grin as he began to tickle Medea. Medea giggled and tried to escape, but Evan was too quick for her. Soon, Evan began to stop, but then Medea pounced and began to tickle Evan. Evan and Medea's tickle war ensued for a few minutes, until both Evan and Medea were exhausted and collapsed on the bed, with Medea landing on top of Evan.

Breathing heavily, Evan and Medea noticed the position that they were both in. Medea placed her hands on Evan's chest, while Evan wrapped his arms around Medea's back. They both smiled at each other. Evan then rolled so that both of them were lying on their sides, both in the same position. Evan's body suddenly caught up with him and he slowly began to slip into unconsciousness.

"Hey, Medea," He whispered.

"Yeah?" She responded.

"Promise me you'll be here when I wake up, alright?" He slurred.

Medea smiled and whispered, "Yes. I will."

Evan smiled, "Good." And he fell asleep, tightening his grip on her.

Medea blushed, but she moved even closer to Evan. She slowly leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I will always be here for you, Evan. Whether you know it or not. Because…I love you."

Evan then mumbled something along the lines of, "Me too."

******

A knock on the door interrupted Evan from the best sleep of his life. He mumbled, "Go away," and he tried to shift his weight, but realized his left arm was unable to move. He opened his eyes and found Medea right next to him. Evan smiled, but then his happiness turned into fear. What if the person at the door was King Trode? If he saw that Medea was in his bed, he would have him killed in the worst possible way. Evan gulped and quickly tried to escape from Medea's death grip. He managed to get out and he sat up, but Medea wrapped her arms around his waist. Evan sighed. He grabbed a pillow and he got out of her grip and quickly put the pillow where he used to be. Medea grabbed the pillow, smiled, and rolled over. Evan let out a sigh of relief as he went to the door and opened it in such a way that the person wouldn't be able to see inside. Waiting outside was Rolf.

"Rolf? What are you doing here?" Evan asked.

"Well, I came for two things. Number one; I need you to get ready for the ceremony. Number two; have you seen Medea? She wasn't in her room, and since your lovers, I thought you might know where she is."

Evan blushed at the 'lovers' comment, "We aren't lovers and I, uh, haven't seen her. Maybe she went for a morning walk."

Suddenly, a moan resonated from the Evan. Evan's face turned white. Rolf's eyebrow rose as he pushed back the door, much to Evan's dismay, to find Medea sitting on Evan's bed, hair slightly disheveled and still half asleep. A very large grin appeared on Rolf's face.

"Oh, yeah, sure." He laughed, "'Not lovers' he says. HAH! Man, Evan, I never thought that you would be the type to do these things. And only 14! Man, what would Trode do if he were to find out."

Evan became dead serious, "If Trode found out about this, there would be TWO deaths that day."

Rolf continued to laugh as he walked out of the room. Evan reached for his empty glass of drink and he hurled it at Rolf. It hit him square in the head and he toppled down. He looked back at Evan, who just whistled and looked around the hall. Rolf growled, but he picked himself up and went back to the barracks. Evan sighed as he shut the door and turned back to Medea, who was wide awake and staring at Evan with a slight blush and a smile on her face.

Evan smiled, and said in a voice that was no more than a whisper, "You kept your promise."

Medea smiled, "Why wouldn't I?"

Evan shrugged, "I don't know. I just…have this feeling that something bad is going to happen."

Medea hopped off of the bed, "Evan, don't worry. Now, I have to get ready for the ceremony." She gave him a quick hug and walked out of the room. As she left, she called out in a sing-song voice, "Don't be late!"

Evan let out a deep breath as he ran a hand through his head. The feeling of danger wasn't going away, only intensifying. Evan felt, for the first time in his life, truly helpless.

******

Evan held his breath as he slowly walked down the pathway to the throne where King Trode resided. To his left was Ivan, in his head of the guard uniform. Also, standing behind him, were Rolf and Fredrick. Rolf had a large smile on his face and gave Evan a thumbs-up. Fredrick, however, looked distressed, as he knew something that Evan didn't. On King Trode's right, Medea stood next to him. Evan blushed as he looked at her, but the redness quickly went away. Soon, Evan stood in front of Trode. He knelt down before him.

Trode stood up. Ivan beckoned for a sword and one of the other soldiers gave it to him. He presented the sword to Trode, who took it out of its sheath. He placed the sword on Evan's left shoulder, then his left, and then he laid the blade on the top of Evan's head.

"And now Evan, my boy. Rise." Trode commanded.

Evan slowly rose from and stood up straight. This was it. Evan was now a full-fledged soldier. Unfortunately, the feeling didn't last.

"Your Majesty," Ivan interrupted, "Evan isn't a soldier yet."

"WHAT?!?" Evan yelled, "What do you mean? What do I have to do?"

Ivan drew his blade and held it to Evan's throat in one, quick instant, "Fight me. And if you win, then I will make you a soldier."

Evan gasped as he felt the cold metal on his skin. Ivan's hand was like a blur, Evan could barely see it. Evan felt a mixture of emotions. He felt upset that Ivan had kept this from him. He felt confused as to why Ivan wanted to fight him. He felt scared, for he had never fought Ivan in a no holds bar match. But those feelings were overcome by one single feeling; excitement. He wanted to fight Ivan. Evan felt his blood pumping. His fighting instinct was kicking in. He grabbed the hilt of his blade and he brought the blade up to Ivan's throat.

"Ready when you are, Captain." Evan smiled.

"NO!" Medea exclaimed. She ran up between the swords and faced Ivan, "Sir Ivan! I forbid you to fight Evan. You are a seasoned soldier, and Evan is just a-"

"Medea," Evan said seriously. "Stand down. I am fighting Ivan, whether you like it or not. I want a chance to prove that I am not just a kid."

Medea turned and faced Evan and hugged him, "But Evan, you could be-"

"Medea," Fredrick consoled, "Please, you can't reason with them. Let them be. I promise, if Evan is about to die, I will step in and stop the fight."

Medea sighed in defeat. She slowly walked back to where she stood originally. Evan and Ivan walked to the center of the room. They stood about 50 feet from each other. Evan and Ivan stared at each other. The entire room was silent. Evan's blood began to flow faster than before. Soon, details began to become clearer. He noticed that Ivan's stance seemed to be lacking something. It seemed…imperfect. Evan wondered how Ivan was so powerful when his stance was flawed.

"Use the aura." Ivan announced.

This caught Evan off guard, "W-what?"

"The aura," Ivan repeated, "If you want to beat me, use the aura."

Evan looked down, "I…I don't know how to use it at will yet."

As Evan lifted his head, he saw Ivan rush at him with amazing speed. Evan barely had enough time to block the strike. As the blades made contact with one another, the force from Ivan's blow made Evan's knees grow weak. He grunted as he tried to keep standing, but Ivan was too powerful for him. Evan fell to his knees, but before he had time to react, a foot rammed into his gut. Coughing, Evan flew across the room. He landed with a large thud as he hit the ground and continued to roll until he was now 20 ft. from where he had started the fight. Evan felt something trickled down his chin. He reached up and wiped it off; it was blood. Evan slowly stood, his knees shaking along the way. He stared at Ivan, who had no emotion on his face.

"I repeat," Ivan called out, emphasizing each word, "If you want to beat me, use the aura."

Evan growled. He felt heat rising to his cheeks. Evan felt so…so helpless, like a mouse fighting a lion. Suddenly, his blood began to boil. He felt a strange presence surround him. He looked and he could see the outline of a purple barrier. Evan realized that this was the aura that Ivan and everyone else was talking about. Evan felt his power increase, but he knew that it wasn't enough. He gripped the hilt of his sword and gritted his teeth. He reached for the feeling inside of him with great determination. He found it, like a light shinning in the darkness. He reached for it and grabbed it. Evan's blood began to pump at an even more frequent rate. The aura around him became more visible and powerful. Gusts of wind were emanating from Evan. He looked at Ivan and said, "**Well, COME ON!!"**

He rushed at Ivan, his movement like a blur. Ivan smirked. This was the reason why he had done this. This was Evan's true power. Ivan needed to push Evan to the very limit of his being and see how much power he really has. Ivan was able to block Evan's attack with relative ease. Evan continued with his barrage of strikes, but Ivan was able to block every single one of them and, on the last strike, he parried the blow and spun around and rammed the butt of the sword into Evan's temple. Evan gasped as he felt the blow to his head. He tumbled to the ground, but he quickly rolled back to his feet. Evan began to run around Ivan in a circle, to confuse him. Ivan just closed his eyes and, after a few seconds, extended his sword to his left, where his blade met Evan's with a loud clang. Evan grunted as he felt Ivan pushing him back. Ivan quickly pulled back his hand and shouted, "FALCON SLASH!"

With amazing speed, he rushed towards Evan and slashed at him. Evan blocked the blow, but suddenly felt a force strike his wrist, loosening his grip on his sword. Ivan then kicked Evan's blade, which sent it flying through the air and landing far away. Evan glanced at where his sword was, but Ivan took this chance and delivered a powerful punch to Evan's stomach. Evan coughed as he was lifted off the ground from the force. Ivan removed his fist and Evan collapsed on the ground, coughing and sputtering.

All-the-while, everyone was watching with pure horror as Ivan mercilessly beat the tar out of Evan. Fredrick clenched his fists so hard, that blood began to trickle down his palms and onto the floor. Rolf gripped Trode's throne until his knuckles turned white and it looked like the piece he was gripping was about to be torn off. Trode couldn't even look at the fight. Medea, however, was brought to tears. She was on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. She wanted it to stop; she didn't want to see Evan hurt, epically from the man he looked up to for all those years, but she couldn't even speak.

Evan managed to catch a glimpse of Medea while he was on the ground. The sight of her crying made something snap in Evan's head. He felt the aura engulfing him, making him lose sense of everything. In Evan's mind, only one thing mattered, and that was to stop the thing that was making Medea upset. She was crying because of Evan, who was being beaten by Ivan. Evan knew what he had to do…

The aura around Evan intensified. The tiles on the floor began to break under the large amount of pressure. Winds, like mini tornadoes, pushed everyone in the room back. Evan slowly stood up, and everyone noticed that Evan's skin, which was a light shade of tan, was now purple. Ivan just smiled. He had just awakened a new power in Evan, untapped until today. He chuckled.

"Great, now the real fight can begin."

…Evan had to kill Ivan.

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUR!**" Evan bellowed.

He was no longer Evan; he was now a creature that lived for one purpose; to fight, no, to kill.

Evan vanished. Ivan's eyes widened. He looked around for Evan, and he reappeared in the air. Evan slashed at Ivan, who managed to block the blow, but the force from the blow made a small indent in his sword. Ivan gasped. Evan landed on the ground, but he just propelled himself forward and began another barrage of strikes at Ivan. Ivan was barely able to block the blows, and a few times, Evan's blade nearly cut him. Ivan knew that he had to get back on the offensive, but Evan was making that extremely difficult. Ivan jumped a few feet back and extended his sword, but Evan lunged at Ivan with such speed, he looked like a lance. Ivan grabbed the belt that kept his sheath attacked to his back and gave it a tug. The sheath moved from his back to his chest, and at that moment Evan's sword stabbed the sheath.

Fredrick gasped, "No. No. To think, Evan pushed Ivan this far. Evan's power is amazing."

"What do you mean?" Rolf asked, "Wait, is this Captain's true power?"

"Full power?" Trode inquired.

Fredrick sighed, "Ivan was taught in the Sigmund Style."

Trode stared, wide-eyed, "Sigmund style?! And Ivan is using it against the boy? Oh my, I can see why you are upset."

Medea, who had regained her composure, but still had tears in her eyes, asked, "What's…Sigmund style."

"It's a very ancient sword style that few know, and even fewer have mastered. It is a style where the wielder uses his sword AND his sheath in combat. It is deadly when used during a one-on-one fight, but Ivan has made it unstoppable." Fredrick answered.

"How so?" Inquired Rolf.

"Ivan has trained himself to wield a sword right-handed." Fredrick reluctantly told.

Suddenly, like a slap to the face, it hit everyone. They realized that Ivan was left-handed. If Ivan could fight well with his right hand, then using his left hand, he would be a killing machine. True, that Evan was a gifted swordsman, and that his power made him a force to be reckoned with, Ivan outclassed Evan in age, experience, fights, and power. Everyone knew this, especially Fredrick, who began to walk towards Ivan.

"IVAN!" Fredrick shouted, having enough, "This is madness! He. Is. Just. A. BOY! You can't possibly think that…"

Fredrick was stopped dead in his track by a glare from Ivan. Fredrick, nor anyone else for that matter, has ever the raw emotion in his eyes. Even though no words were spoken, Ivan's eyes conveyed an entire explanation.

_NO! I must do this. I promised that I would fight and find out the true extent of his power. When backed against the wall, Evan becomes as powerful as the obstacle, no matter what. I must push Evan into that wall, if he ever wants to awaken, and tame this power. Look at him. He lost all thoughts of reason. He is being controlled by his power. If I can snap him out of this, I will train him to use this power for his own benefit. He will become my protégée. I will teach him everything I know. But this can only happen if you don't interfere. Fredrick, please!_

Fredrick grunted and sighed in defeat. He had no choice but to listen to Ivan. He slowly walked back to where he was standing. Before he returned, he was bombarded with questions.

"What happened?"

"Why did you stop walking?"

"Did Ivan talk to you?"

"You didn't say anything, did you?"

"Is the fight going to stop?"

Fredrick held up his hands, "Listen. Ivan told me that the fight must continue, whether we want to or not. He says that Evan is being controlled by the power and Ivan is going to snap him out of it." He looked down at Medea, who was just about to be overcome with a new set of tears, "Don't worry, Princess," responded Fredrick, "I won't allow anything to happen to Evan. As I said before, if the fight gets out of hand, then I will step in and stop the fight, even if it costs me my life." Medea was still upset, but Fredrick's reassurance made her somewhat happier.

Meanwhile, Evan tried, but to no avail, to remove his sword from Ivan's sheath.

Ivan chuckled, "What's a matter, kid? It is stuck? Well, let me help you." Ivan's foot sprang up and jetted towards Evan's chin. Evan tried to dodge, but he still got nicked. Evan jumped back and charged at Ivan, who failed to realize that he was missing his sword. Ivan grabbed Evan's sword and removed it from the sheath. Wielding dual swords, Ivan began a barrage of strikes at Evan. With inhuman speed, he dodged each of the blows. Evan then shot forward and head butted Ivan in the stomach. Ivan was able to brace himself from the blow, but he still let go of Evan's sword. Evan, in one, swift movement, grabbed it, twirled around and stabbed at Ivan. Ivan was able to dodge it and he jumped back yet again, but this time, Evan didn't follow him. The aura around him was beginning to lessen and he was slowly beginning to regain control.

"No, we can't have that, can we? After all this trouble." Ivan muttered to himself. He grabbed the sheath with his left hand and removed it from his belt, so that he was wielding a sword in his right hand and the sheath in his left hand. He smiled as he lunged at Evan, delivering and barrage of blows with sword. Evan was able to block most of them, but he got a few cuts here and there. Evan tried to at least hit Ivan, but he blocked the blow with his sheath. Ivan then hit the sword out of the way and hit Evan on the side. A loud crack resonated in the room. Evan cried out with pain as the blow had broken one of his ribs. Evan was thrown across the room and he rolled until he was at the foot of the throne.

Evan slowly stood up, blood trickling down his lip and head. He gripped the hilt of the sword as the aura around him returned to its previous state. He dashed at Ivan; pain ignored, and swung his blade. Ivan, with hardly any time to respond, used the sword to block. Suddenly, another blow hit the sword, which sent it flying. Ivan had no time to react as Evan began his own flurry of attacks, but Ivan blocked each of his strikes, straining with each blow.

_How is that possible?_ Ivan thought, _He used the Falcon Slash, but I only used it once. There's no way for him to copy it after only seeing it once. Could it be…Can he really mimic it with his power? Evan…what else are you capable of?_

Evan stopped abruptly and dashed towards Ivan's sword. He grabbed it and he sprang back at Ivan. He lunged in mid-air and spun around, like a corkscrew. Ivan blocked the attack, but the force from the blow made his knees buckle. Evan took this opportunity and began to hammer down blows upon Ivan. Ivan extended his leg and brought it around and knocked Evan off his feet. He shot towards Evan and punched him in the face. Evan didn't flinch or move from the blow. He took it and delivered a punch to Ivan in the same manner. Ivan and Evan dropped their weapons and began to brawl. They blocked a lot of the hits, but both Evan and Ivan landed a few good blows to each other. The fight ended with a punch to the temple from both Evan and Ivan. They stepped back, panting and sweating. Ivan picked up his sword and Evan did the same.

"It…looks like…that this will…be the last hit…huh, kid?" Ivan managed to say between breaths.

Evan just nodded and extended his blade. Ivan did the same. Both yelling, they dashed at each other and swung their swords with all of their might. They stood at opposite ends of the throne room, both exhausted. With another loud crack, Evan's sword split it half. Evan looked at the sword, but then blood shot out from his chest and every wound he received from the fight hit Evan like a ton of bricks as the aura around his vanished. Evan coughed up blood as he fell to the ground. The last thing he heard and saw was Medea screaming and running towards him.

Ivan slowly walked over to his sheath and put it back on his belt, which he returned to its original position. He turned around and saw everyone present, a few maids, and the doctor rush over to Evan. He realized that he went too hard on the kid. Suddenly, he felt something hot run down his left cheek. He reached up and wiped it. He looked and saw blood; his blood. Evan had managed to cut him, even if it was just a small one. He smiled and he walked towards Evan.

"I knew I made the right choice." He muttered.

******

Evan slowly opened his eyes. His vision was still blurry, but he realized that he was in the infirmary, where he spent his first week at the castle. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't let him. He tried to speak, but all that came out was dry, low, weak sound. Somebody near him gasped. He moved his head, but it was enveloped in pain.

"Don't move!" said the voice, "Your body still hasn't recovered yet, so you can't move."

"Who…?" Evan asked, as he didn't recognize the voice.

"It's me, Medea."

Evan's eyes adjusted and he saw Medea. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were red and bloodshot, and her face had wet spot on it, from crying.

"Me…dea? What…happened?" Evan managed to ask, but talking also hurt, so he just asked for the most important detail.

"You passed out after the fight," Another voice explained, "Fredrick and Rolf dragged you here, and you've been asleep for a little over a day." Evan turned and saw Ivan standing there, with a bandage on his cheek. He smiled as he walked towards Evan, "You did great out there."

"But I…lost" Evan groaned. He didn't want to remember it.

"Yeah, you did, but what did you expect. Hell, if you won, I would have made you Captain."

Evan blinked, "So…I was…supposed to…lose?"

Ivan shook his head, "No. This test was to see the true extent of your power. The fact that you cut me means that you are able to overcome that power. You could use it if you had training."

"But…I was able to…overcome it." Evan responded

It was Ivan who blinked, "Wait, so you were able to regain control."

Evan slowly nodded, as to not trigger more pain, "After you broke my rib, I regained control of myself. I just…can't activate it at will. At least not anything besides my first form."

Ivan chuckled, "Kid, you never cease to amaze me. Once you recover, I am going to train you on using that power. You can become a powerful guy, Evan."

Evan smiled. He turned to Medea and grinned. She giggled and leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, "Congratulation, Sir Evan!


	9. Chapter 8

Evan was exhausted. Currently, he was training with Ivan, which he had been doing for the past 2 years. Ivan was sparring against Evan and trying to teach him everything that he knew, besides Sigmund Style, which Ivan had refused to teach Evan, saying that he had to find his own style of fighting. But in truth, the real reason for the training was to try to get Evan to forcibly activate his Aura on his own. After 1 ½ years of training, the other half was spent recovering, since Ivan and Evan's battle left him in a horribly weak state, Evan could activate the first level with ease. The second level, however, took him a couple of seconds of concentration before it would activate. But the third level was another story. Unfortunately, Evan still couldn't call upon it at will. He still needed something extreme to get him to that level, which was why Ivan was pushing Evan to his very limits, like he did when Evan was initiated into Trodain's guards. Ivan was aware of what he was doing to Evan, and he limited these types of training sessions to once a week, which happened to be today.

"Enough!" Ivan called out, after about an hour of fighting, "That's enough for today, Evan. We'll try it again next week."

"N-no!" Evan panted, trying desperately to remain standing, "I c-can fight some more."

Ivan looked at Evan's state and shook his head, "No, kid, you can't. You can barely stand, so how do you suppose you can fight. There's always next week."

"But I haven't made any progress yet!" Evan whined.

"What's the rush?" Ivan asked.

Evan was about to complain some more, but Ivan's question make him stop. Ivan was right, why was he so desperate to keep this up? Every week it was the same, Ivan kicking his ass. Evan shuddered as he remembered all the times Ivan had beat him. Evan sighed in defeat, "There is none," he muttered, "Alright, we'll go again next week."

Ivan nodded as Evan slowly began to walk back to his room. As he neared the door that led into the main building, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Fredrick with a smile on his face.

"Come on, Evan. I'll fix you something that'll help."

Evan didn't know what he had in mind, but he decided to follow wordlessly. Fredrick led him back to the barracks. It was empty, which was strange for this time of day. As they entered, Fredrick told Evan to sit down and wait, while he went into the back to get Evan the mystery item. Evan nodded and sat down. As he waited, he began to stretch different parts of his body to see what the damages were for this lesson.

"How's the practicing going?" Fredrick called back to Evan.

"Not good." Evan sighed as he stopped stretching. The damages weren't that great. He had a couple of cuts here and there, a lot of bruises, and a broken rib. If he were younger, he wouldn't have been able to move, but now that he was 16, he considered himself lucky that it was just that. The concept of this made him chuckle, which caught Fredrick's attention as he returned to the table with a strange bottle in his hand.

"A gold coin for your thoughts?" Fredrick asked.

Evan simply shrugged and said, "I just thought it was funny that to me, a broken rib is like a normal condition for me now." He sighed, "This training…It's something else. I mean, at first, it was going great. I was able to get the first level down pretty quickly and the second level wasn't that difficult, but it requires a little more concentration. But, for whatever reason, I can't seem to be able to get to the third level on my own. Someone has to force me in order for it to activate, and even then I'm not in control."

Fredrick slid the bottle to Evan, "Here, drink! It'll make you feel better."

Evan chuckled as he took the bottle, "You're starting to sound like Tom." Evan swallowed the liquid and the wounds that he received began to lessen. He looked at his body and the cuts began to vanish and the bruises began to fade.

Fredrick, anticipating Evan's questions, answered, "It's water, but it's also mixed with a couple of healing herbs. Does the trick, huh?"

Evan nodded and he took another swig of the drink. It had an herby taste, but it was still good, nevertheless.

"So, Evan" Fredrick began, "What are you going to do?"

"About what?"

Fredrick blinked, "What do you mean? Don't tell me you forgot about the princess' birthday? It's in a couple of days."

Evan's mind went blank. The bottle in his hand fell and crashed on the table, shattering and spraying its contents everywhere. "It's….in a….couple days?" Evan said in an unnaturally high voice.

Fredrick nodded, "Yeah, I thought you knew?"

Evan shook his head very slowly, "I…was so focused with this training that I completely forgot! What am I going to do?! Please Fredrick, you have to help me!"

Fredrick chuckled, "Alright, alright, calm down. I'll help you. What does Medea like?"

Evan tried to remember what she talked about often, "Well, she likes flowers. And jewelry. And perfume. And…a bunch of other girly stuff."

Fredrick sighed, "That doesn't help. I need specifics. What kind of flowers, what types of perfume."

Evan slumped in his seat, "I don't know. And besides, what's around here? The closest thing to a store around here is in Farebury."

Fredrick smiled, "Well, then I suggest you go there."

Evan tensed up, "Do I have to?"

Fredrick's smile turned into a frown, "What do you mean? Don't you want to get her present?"

"It's not that, it's just…the last time I tried to go there…well…you know."

Fredrick understood, "Evan, you're 16 year old. You can't let fear control your actions. You're much stronger than the last time you went into the forest. You've been training under Ivan for almost 2 years. I believe that you can handle this."

Evan welled up with a sense of pride. What Fredrick said was true, he was stronger than before. He could overcome the dangers of the forest road. He was going to Farebury!

"But you have to get Ivan's permission first."

Evan nodded with determination. He had to go to Ivan, and even if he said no, he would have to sneak out. He wanted to get Medea a great present, because when a girl turned 16, she was considered a woman in all legal aspects. As Evan left the barracks to find Ivan, he began to think of the things Medea would want. He had gathered some money over the years, but not enough to buy anything that expensive, perhaps a necklace.

Evan found Ivan performing some stretches where he was when Evan left. As he approached, Ivan noticed Evan and said, "Your wounds seem to have healed. Did you get some of Fredrick's secret concoction?"

Evan nodded, "Yeah, and it did the trick. I feel a lot better!"

"Better enough to go another round?"

Evan chuckled and shook his head, "I think I got my ass kicked enough for one week. But, I wanted to ask you something."

Ivan perked up, "What's this? What do you need?"

Evan took a slow breath, "Well, Medea's birthday's coming up, and this training took a lot of time and effort on my part, so much so that I totally forgot about her birthday, so I was wondering if I could go to Farebury to get Medea something nice?"

Ivan began to rub his chin, "Hmm…Well, I suppose I can let you go. I'll tell the King that you have to go pick something up for me."

A smile erupted on Evan's face and he ran over to Ivan and hugged him, "Thank you so much, Ivan! So, when are you going to tell him? What should I pack? How far is it? Is it a nice city? Where can I…"

Ivan broke free of Evan's death grip, "BREATH! Evan, calm down. I'll tell the King right now."

Evan continued grinning as he went back to the barrack to tell Fredrick of his success. He entered the door and Tom, Fredrick, and Rolf chatting pleasantly. They looked at him as he entered, the smile on his face still very apparent.

"Hey kid, you get laid?" Tom asked, which earned him a slap from both Rolf and Fredrick.

"Did Ivan give you permission to go?" Fredrick asked, to which Evan nodded as he sat down next to Rolf, "He's going to tell the King right now. He's telling him that he's sending me on an errand. I'll be leaving shortly."

Rolf and Tom both were in the dark about what both Fredrick and Evan were talking about, and voiced their confusion. Fredrick told both of them about Evan's situation. They both laughed and slapped Evan on the back, "Are you going to tell her?" They both asked.

Evan blinked, "Tell her what?"

"How you feel?" Fredrick asked, curious as well.

Evan blushed. To his surprise, everyone in the Castle had learned of his secret crush on Medea, except for Medea and Trode. And they constantly tortured him about it. But Evan knew that they were right. He couldn't keep hiding it from them. He had to tell her, and he decided that he was going to tell her on her birthday.

Their conversation was interrupted by Ivan entering the room. "Well, kid," He said as he sat down on the bench, "You're good to go. I told the King and he agreed. Now, you have five days until her birthday. Now, it'll take you one and a half days to get there. Spend the night there and shop in the morning and possibly spend that night there as well. Then, come home afterwards. You should have a day to spare."

Evan nodded and he got up from the bench. Everyone wished him luck and he thanked them, because he needed some reassurance. He entered the storage room of the barracks to get some supplies. He got a large satchel and filled it with a map, a blanket, sleeping roll, a sheet to make a tent, a compass, and materials to start a fire. He left the barracks and made his way to the front gate. As he was just about to leave, a voice stopped him. He turned around and saw Medea running after him.

"Medea," He questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I thought that we could spend the rest of the day together. You finished your training for today, haven't you?"

Guilt began to well up in Evan. He didn't want to disappoint Medea, but he had to go to Farebury to get her something to make her happy. Quite a conundrum. "Medea, I'm sorry, but I can't spend the day with you. I have to go to Farebury to go get…a package for Ivan, so I'll be gone for 4 days, maybe even a little more."

Medea, not expecting to hear this, frowned. She had heard nothing of this from anyone. And she wanted to spend the day with Evan. She simply sighed and said, "Well, I guess you can't ignore an order from Sir Ivan, but…you have to promise that you'll spend a day, no…TWO days with me when you get back, after my birthday, I mean. Which, by the way, is soon. You haven't forgotten about it, have you?

_That's the whole reason why I'm going on this journey! _"Of course not! Don't worry; I'll be back in time for it. If not…then you can execute me for high treason against the crown! People will talk about my death for ages, I'll be legend!"

Evan received a friendly slap on the arm for that comment, but Medea also giggled at it, too. Evan smiled and gave her a hug and when on his way to Farebury

******

Evan made some real progress on his journey. Farebury was 15 miles away from Trodain, and Evan had managed to traverse 8. He decided to set up a small camp for the night. He placed his sleeping roll in his tent. He dug in his satchel and grabbed the materials to make a fire from twigs he had gathered along the way. He, after a few tries, managed to start the fire and keep it burning. Now all he needed was some food. He looked around him and noticed a stream a short distance away. He went over to it and looked it. He noticed a few fish swimming around, pleasantly unaware of the giant figure that loomed above them, ready to snatch them. With swift reflexes, Evan grabbed the largest one and pulled it out of the water. He placed it on the ground and waited for its desperate attempts at life to subside. When it had died, Evan took it over to the fire and proceeded to gut it and place it over the fire. After 10 minutes of cooking, the fish was ready, and Evan happily ate the fish. After he had finished, he got up and dumped the excess fish into the forest. As he went back to get ready for sleep, he heard a small crack. Evan froze and moved his hand to his sword. He looked and he saw a pair of red eyes with yellow pupils staring back at him. Evan stopped breathing. Evan knew what was in the forest, looking at him. He had fought it a long time ago, and it had given Evan a scar on his left shoulder. Evan was face-to-face with another Bunicorn.

Evan drew his sword and pointed it at the creature, "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. I guess it's a rematch, huh? Well, guess what Bunicorn? I'm not the helpless kid from before. I am much, _much_ stronger!" Evan yelled as he activated Level 2 of his Aura. The Bunicorn leapt at Evan, who easily dodged its initial attack and countered with a stab. The blade managed to cut, but not penetrate, the Bunicorn, who shrieked with pain. It landed and tried another attack, but Evan was able to block it and he delivered a kick to its jaw, which broke with a loud snap. It backed away and prepared for another attack. It lunged at Evan. Evan had been attacked this way so many times before by Ivan with such amazing speed, that he was able to see the Bunicorn move, as in slow motion. He smirked and yelled, "TOO SLOW!" and he delivered a powerful stab, which managed to make contact with the tip of the horn of the Bunicorn. The horn split as Evan's blade slid down to embed itself in the Bunicorn's skull. The Bunicorn was dead. Evan removed his blade and cleaned the blood on it. He looked at the dead Bunicorn and felt a strong sense of pride. Something that has caused Evan so much grief in his life was killed as if it was nothing. Evan realized that even though Ivan's true purpose was to train Evan to activate his strange power, the constant fights with Ivan had left him with reflexes that far surpassed most. Evan would have to remember to thank Ivan when he returned, but he was tired, and he needed to sleep. He kicked the Bunicorn's corpse away from his camp and entered the tent and flopped on his bed roll, sleep overtaking him.

Evan arose as the cock crowed. He noticed that the fire had gone out during the night, but it still smoldered. He packed up his tent and bedroll in his satchel and he went over to the creek to get a drink and water to extinguish the smoke. After both things were done, he got his map and compass and set off to the Southwest. Evan made great time, going the other 7 miles in two hours. He exited the forest and saw the city on the horizon. He smiled. This was a lot easier than he had originally thought. He walked across the large field and finally came to the southern entrance to Farebury. He neared the gate, but he was halted by a voice from atop the large wall that surrounded Farebury.

"OY! 'O are you?" The voice inquired.

Evan looked up at the voice and noticed a man in strange garbs looking at him. He had a giant metal helmet on his head. He was very muscular and his shirt, or lack-of, showed off his strength. In his hand he had a large axe. _Must be a guard. But why would he wear that? It leaves him wide open for attacks._

"My name is Evan, and I am one of the guards at Castle Trodain. I have come here for a short respite and to purchase something for a friend of mine. Can I enter?"

The man scratched his helmet and shrugged, "A'right. 'Ere we go. Get in and hurry" He moved over to another location and begun to spin a wheel, which opened the gate.

Evan entered and as soon as he did, the gate shut behind him with a loud thud. Evan looked at the guard, who was looking over the ledge, as if he was expecting something to come. Evan simply shrugged. Evan took this opportunity to look at the town. It was the first time that he had actually been to civilization, besides the castle. He was standing in a courtyard. To the north, large steps which led up to a group of buildings. To the northwest, a small group of buildings, one of which was the inn. Evan decided to look around town, to see if he could find people to help him. He decided to try up the stairs. He proceeded up the long climb. As he reached the top, he began to look around for any sign of life. He noticed out of the corner of his eye a girl with light red hair. He looked over at her and founded her surrounded by a large man, similar to the guard he encountered earlier. And by the looks of things, that 'guard' was harassing her.

"Oy! What 'ave we 'ere? A pretty little lass? Why don't you come 'ere and I can show you things you can only dream of."

The girl tried to get away, but the man thrust out his hand and blocked her path.

"I don' think I was clear before. I'm sayin' that you're comin' with me!" He grabbed her arm. She desperately began to struggle, but the man was too strong for her. He was about to grab her with another hand, but something stopped him. Precisely, Evan stopped him.

"HEY!" Evan shouted as he rushed over, seeing enough. The man loosened his grip on the girl for a second, which gave her enough time to free her arm and run over behind Evan. He held out an arm to prevent the man from going after her, "I don't know what's going on, but this girl doesn't want to go anywhere with you, so I suggest that you leave."

The man snorted, "Ey, I don't know 'o you are, but this is none of your business."

"Who do you think _you_ are? She didn't want to go with you and no means no!"

The man stopped, but then he picked himself up, as if suddenly important, "'O am I? I happen to be one of the guards of this 'ere town! What do you think of that?"

"I am one of the guards of Castle Trodain." Evan responded without a second's hesitation.

The man and the girl both seemed to gasp. The man snorted and he started to approach very slowly, "You think that you can scare me with a bluff like that? You've got to be joking! Well, I'll show you what happens when you mess with a guard."

The man grabbed the axe that was resting on his back. He swung it downwards at Evan. Evan shoved the girl out of the way and drew his sword and managed to block it. The man gasped as Evan was able to stop the blow. The man grabbed the axe with both hands and he spun around, swinging the axe. Evan jumped back as he avoided the blow. The man was caught off balance and he tried to keep from falling over. Evan took this opportunity to lunge at the man. He delivered a kick to his chest, which sent him toppling to the ground. The axe flew from his hand and he hit the ground with a loud groan. He tried to reach for the axe, but Evan kicked it away and pointed the sword at the base of his throat.

"Submit." Evan stated, the obvious winner of the fight. The man knew this as well. He grunted and nodded his head. Evan sheathed his sword and went over to the girl. She was sitting on the floor, stunned and dazed from Evan's shove and swordsmanship. Evan offered her a hand and she slowly took it. Just as she was about to take his hand, she screamed. Evan spun around and saw the man and his axe over his head, ready to bring it down to cleave Evan and the girl. Evan quickly drew his sword as he lunged at the man. He slashed the man's chest, which caused him to howl. Evan dove to the side as the axe came down. Evan swung his blade and he broke the axe's handle. Evan glared at the man as his blade returned to his throat. "If you continue like this," Evan began to explain, "I will have no choice but to kill you. And I don't want to have anyone's death on my conscious, so I suggest for both of our sakes that you surrender and fix up that gash."

"OY! WHAT'S GOING ON 'ERE?"

Evan looked over and saw a bunch of people running over. They weren't like the two guards he had encountered. They were dressed in regular clothes. _Townsfolk_ Evan thought as they drew near. They surveyed the situation. A guard, bleeding and with a sword to his throat. A young man, who had the blade to the guard's throat with a strict expression. And a young girl, stunned and sitting on the ground. They looked at Evan, with confusion and suspicion.

"What business do you have in our town, stranger? And what right do you have to assault one of our guards?"

Evan was about to explain himself, but the girl stood up and walked between Evan and the crowd, "Please, everyone," she began to explain, "This man has saved me. That guard was talking to me, but he started to get rough and he grabbed me, but this man came and he saved me. He told the guard to stop, but he kept attacking us, so he had to break his axe. This man has done no wrong." The girl talked with a strange accent that Evan had not heard before. She also happened to be very beautiful.

_But not as beautiful as Medea_ Evan reminded himself as she defended him. The townspeople seemed to accept this and they turned on the guard. They went over to him and they grabbed him and dragged him off to some unknown punishment. Evan chuckled as he saw the guard begging with the people. Evan then noticed that the girl was standing very close to him. Evan smiled, "Thanks for that. I didn't know what was going to-"

Evan was cut off by an embrace from the girl. Evan blinked as she held on to him with a death grip. He then heard faint sobs. Evan hesitantly put his arms around her and comforted her, telling her that she was safe and the man was gone. After a few minutes, she regained her composure. She looked at Evan and he noticed her bright purple eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir. I…I was just overcome with emotion that I lost my-"

Evan interrupted her with a raised hand, "Hey, it's alright. The townsfolk will straighten him out. Don't worry, I don't think he'll bother you again. Hey, I still don't know your name. Mine's Evan."

The girl blushed, "Oh! S-sorry. My name is Valentina. It is very nice to meet you, Evan. And thank you for saving me from that man. I don't want to think what would have happened if you hadn't shown up when you did." She paused, but then said, "Wait, why ARE you here? I don't recognize you from town, are you a visitor?"

Evan explained his situation thus far. Valentina smiled, "Well, aren't you sweet. The trek from Trodain is dangerous, isn't it? This girl must be something special."

Evan smiled, "Yeah, she it. And I want to get something special, something to show that I really care for her."

Valentina gasped, "Are you going to purpose?!"

Evan blushed heavily, something that he hadn't done for quite some time, "WHAT?! No, I'm not…I just want to show her how much I like her! It has nothing to do with marriage."

It was now Valentina who blushed, "Oh, sorry! I jumped to conclusions. Well, I will help you find something for her. It's the least I could do. I will go get something, while you wait at my house. Come on, I'll show you."

Before Evan could complain, Valentina grabbed his hand and started to run into the large clumps of buildings. It reminded the times when Medea and him were younger and she would drag him all over the castle. He smiled at the nostalgia. Valentina led him to a small house, in the northeastern corner of the town. She opened the door and pulled Evan in. As they entered the house, they entered a room with a giant crystal ball in the center. The room was draped in dark purple curtains, with all sorts of nick-knacks. As they entered, Evan heard some shuffling in the back of the house. Then, a man emerged from the back. He had a yellow shirt and pants. His hair was pulled up, giving it a poof. The man stared at Evan.

"Valentina," The man spoke in the same accent as her, "Who is this 'boy'?"

Valentina then recapped the whole incident that occurred. When she was finished, the man was fuming, "WHAT?! How dare they do this to my poor daughter! I will go and teach that man to mess with MY daughter!"

Valentina went over to him and stopped him from storming out of the house, "Father, please. Evan stopped that man. He cut his chest, so he won't be coming after me."

The man stopped thrashing. He looked at Evan and inspected him. When he was done, he took in a deep breath, "Well, you seem…adequate. Maybe after a few years of courting, I will allow you to marry her."

Evan and Valentina both blushed, "F-father!" Valentina squealed, "He's…I mean…we're not…"

Evan decided to come to Valentina's aid, "Sir, I'm not courting your daughter. I just happened to arrive in town and I saw her being harassed by that guard. I couldn't just stand by. Our relation is just friends, nothing more."

The man blinked, then let out a loud and boisterous laugh, "Well, forgive me for jumping to conclusions. But, getting back to the matter of the 'incident'. You have to be rewarded."

"Please sir," Evan interjected, "I have no need to have any reward. It's what I was trained to do, so it comes like second nature."

The man held up a hand, "I do not care if you want to be rewarded or not. Please, accept my charity."

Evan sighed, not wanting to upset the man by not accepting his charity. He shrugged and said, "Alright, if you insist. But Valentina has already offered to buy something for my friend, which was the whole reason why I came here."

"She has?" Asked the man, "Well, that's her way of repaying you. _I _still need to repay you." He sat down on his chair and rubbed his chin. After a minute of rubbing, he jumped up, "I know! I will read your future! And it's free of charge."

Evan had heard of fortune tellers from many of the guards at the castle, but he had never met one. He decided that he would go along with it, since it was free. He sat down on the chair adjacent to the man. Valentina announced that she would go find something nice for Evan's friend and she left. Evan's attention was focused on the crystal ball that sat on the center of the table. He seemed to get lost staring at it. He was brought back by the man, who said, "Now, let the Great Kaldarasha see into your future."

Kaldarasha raised his hands above the crystal ball and began to mutter a few words that Evan didn't catch. He closed his eyes and lowered his head. Suddenly, the room got colder and the lamps that had illuminated the room were snuffed out, leaving the room dark, save for the light was being emitted by the crystal ball. At that moment, the house began to vanish and they appeared in a dark void, with only the chairs, the table, and the crystal ball. After minutes of silence, Kaldarasha finally spoke, but in a voice that was his, yet at the same time not.

"_Soon, a man shall arrive at a castle. With him, he brings a strange and dark power. In his wake, he will bring about pain and devastation to you. When he departs, he will take what you treasure most. You will go into the cave where he dwells, and there, you will lose something dear to you. And there, you will find a power that will allow you to vanquish the dark king, and recover what he took, but with great sacrifice…_"

Kaldarasha's voice faded and he became silent. Evan was gripping his seat with such intensity that the wood began to crack. He was shaken to the core by Kaldarasha's prophecy. Who was this strange king? What was he going to take from him? What was he going to lose? What was the power that he would find? And what sacrifice would he have to make. These questions ran through his head as he sat in the void, floating in the abyss. Suddenly, the sound of a door opening broke him from his trance. The room returned and Evan found he was sitting opposite of Kaldarasha, as if nothing had happened.

"Ah, Valentina!" Kaldarasha announced, "You have returned, so I deem that your trip was successful?"

Valentina nodded as she came to the table, "Yes, Father. I have found the perfect present for Evan's friend. Here you go." She offered Evan the package, but Evan was staring at the crystal ball, still in a daze. Valentina placed a hand on his shoulder, "Evan? Are you troubled?"

Evan blinked and he looked at Valentina, "W-what? O-oh, no, I'm fine. Just tired, is all. The day's events left me exhausted."

Valentina frowned, not pleased with the answer, "No, you are troubled. Come, I will take you around town. That will clear your mind." Without even giving Evan a chance to speak, she grabbed his hand and dragged him outside. She dragged him to a church, which was near where they lived. They entered the church and were greeted by a priest. They said hello, and Valentina dragged Evan into the back room, and then up some stairs. They entered the bell tower, which gave them a beautiful view of the sunset, which spooked Evan even more. When he entered Kaldarasha's house, it was close to midday, but now it was sunset. Valentina noticed this and spoke up.

"Evan, you've been like this ever since Father read you future. Please, tell me. Is anything bothering you."

Evan let out a sigh and he leaned against the railing of the tower, "I…I don't know. I guess I'm just…nervous. What if Medea doesn't like the present, or what if she doesn't feel the same way? I'm just worried that if things go wrong, then things will get awkward and then we'll lose our friendship." Evan hadn't told Valentina what was truly bothering him, but he was also concerned about Medea.

Valentina placed a hand on Evan's shoulders, "Don't worry, if you both love each other, then I'm sure you'll find a way. Just trust in the power of love."

Evan chuckled at Valentina's unbridled optimism. He nodded and he gazed at the sunset. It _was_ beautiful. Maybe he was over thinking things. There were a couple of moments where they almost kissed. Evan smiled at the thought of kissing Medea. With his mind set, he pushed himself off of the railing and opened the hatch that led them into the church. They left the building and walked towards Kaldarasha's house.

As they neared it, Evan said, "Well, I guess I'll head to the inn and stay there, and leave first thing in the morning. So, I guess this is goodbye."

Valentina shook her head, "No. You're staying with us. And if you don't like it, then I'll just return the present and you'll be stuck getting something by yourself."

Evan chuckled. He had no idea that Valentina could be so devious. He was too tired to argue. That, and he knew that he would have no hope at getting anything special for Medea. Evan simply nodded and they went in. Valentina told him that the guest room was above. She said goodnight and went into the back, where Evan suspected her bedroom was. Evan walked up the stairs and sat on the side of the bed. He unbuckled his belt and placed it resting up against the wall. He rolled over on the bed and in a few minutes, he entered sleep.

******

Evan awoke as the sun peered into his room. Evan forgot where he was and began to look around in confusion. He then remembered that he was in Farebury, and he was in Kaldarasha's house. He got up and grabbed his sword belt and buckled it around his waist. He walked down the stairs and he wandered into the back room, where he found a large table, with Valentina sitting in one of the chairs that sat under the table. She looked up as she saw Evan and smiled.

"Well, good morning! Did you sleep well?"

Evan nodded, "Yeah, it was a good sleep. Maybe I should save a person in every town, and I can get treatment like this all the time."

Valentina giggled, "Maybe, but maybe you won't be so lucky. By the way, did you ever look at the present yet?"

Evan smiled sheepishly, "Well, I was going to get around to it…"

Valentina sighed and handed Evan the package, which, Evan guessed, contained the present. Evan opened it and gasped. In the package was a silver necklace with a small red ruby attached to it. Evan was speechless. It was beautiful, and it looked expensive.

"V-Valentina," He managed to say, "This…this is too much. I have to pay you for this. How much did it cost?"

Valentina shook her head, "No, Evan. This is for-"

Evan grabbed her shoulders, "Valentina. This necklace looks very expensive. It must have cost a lot. Now, I _will _pay you back. Don't insult me by refusing."

Valentina simply nodded, "Well…it was about…150 gold coins."

Evan grabbed his coin bag and dug out 150 gold pieces and handed them to Valentina. She took them and put them in a small purse that was at her waist.

"Thank you." Evan said, "Sorry for being a little harsh, but I didn't want you to go the extra mile for me."

Valentina smiled, "It's alright. I just wanted to repay you for all that you've done for me." Her smile turned into a sad one, "You know, Evan. When I first saw you, and you came to my rescue, I thought you were this knight in shining armor, and I was…taken by you."

Evan blinked, confused at what she said. She was attracted to him? He did admit, she was very pretty, but he was in love with Medea. "I'm sorry, Valentina, but I don't feel the same way. You are very attractive, but I'm in love with Medea. But, I want us to be friends…if that's okay with you."

Valentina nodded, "I'd like that." She paused, "So, you're leaving?"

Evan nodded, "Yeah, I came here to get the present for Medea's birthday, which is tomorrow, so I had best hurry. It was so nice to meet you. I promise to come and visit some time."

"Promise?" asked Valentina.

Evan nodded, "Yup, promise."

They both hugged and said their goodbyes. Evan left the house and walked to the southern exit and left Farebury. He hurried back, able to traverse the 15 miles in 12 hours. As he neared the castle, it was already after dark. He picked up the pace as he came to the castle entrance. As he walked to the gate, a voice called out to him. He looked up and he saw Tom sitting atop the gate. He had a torch in one hand, and something else in the other. Upon closer inspection, Evan noticed that it was a bottle of wine. Evan chuckled.

"OY! OY! 'O goes 'ere?" Tom slurred, swaying from side to side.

Evan waved a hand, "Yo, Tom! It's me, Evan. Let me in, alright."

Tom gave a wide smile, and waved his hand, forgetting the bottle was in it, which caused the contents to spray all over the place. Tom's expression turned from joy to horror. He screamed as he fell to the ground and tried to return the wine to its bottle. Evan sighed, realizing that he was going to spend the night outside before Tom would sober up.

"HEY!" Evan called out, "IS THERE ANYONE ELSE I CAN TALK TOO?"

Evan waited a minute, and, much to his relief, another guard arrived. He was wearing the full guard regalia, so Evan didn't know who it was. He looked at Tom, then back at Evan. Evan explained his situation, and the guard opened the gate for Evan. Evan thanked the guard and he walked into Castle Trodain. He first thought to go back to his room, but he decided to go to the barracks and see if anyone was up. As he entered the barracks, there were 3 guards sitting at the tables; Fredrick, Rolf, and Ivan. As he entered, they all looked at him and smiled.

"So, how'd it go?" Asked Rolf.

Evan sat at the table, "Well, my journey was one filled with adventure, action, suspense, and all around greatness. Oh, by the way. Tom's being drunk and well…he's being Tom really, but he's trying to put spilled wine back into his bottle."

Ivan let out a loud groan, "Damn! Well, I'll go teach Tom a thing or two about being drunk on duty. Don't wait up. Tell your story, kid!" And with that, Ivan left.

"So, Evan. Tell us. How was the trip to Farebury?" Fredrick inquired.

Evan proceeded to tell Fredrick and Rolf of his journey to Farebury, inflating a few parts and adding some others to make it sound like a grand adventure. Unfortunately, both Rolf and Fredrick knew he was kidding, and they started to laugh.

"There's no way you fought 50 slimes! There're hardly ever more the 5 at a time!" Fredrick chuckled.

"And what's the deal with the ninja's guarding Farebury?" Rolf roared, "And the massive monster army that you took on singlehandedly! Come on, do you take us for saps?"

Evan was laughing as well, "Alright, those things, and the bridge run were fake, but the rest of it was real. I did fight that Bunicorn and that guard guy."

Evan was about to say more, but the door was suddenly launched across the room, with a body going with it. The body, or Tom, got up, but he quickly got out of the way as an empty wine bottle smashed where his head was. Ivan entered the room, with a huge grin on his face, "You can't hide, Tom. There's nowhere to run!"

"Evan, I think you better save the rest for another time. Get out while you still can" Fredrick said as he stood up and went to find Tom to prevent Ivan from killing him. Evan nodded as he rushed out of the room and ran back to his own room.

When he entered the main building, he slowed his pace to a stroll. As he strutted to his room, he reached in his pocket and clutched the present. It was a very good present, and he was sure Medea would love it. He then remembered his pact, to tell Medea how he really felt. All of his worries came back to him. What if she didn't feel the same way? Their friendship would be ruined, and he might get expelled from the castle. He shook his head. He knew that he was overreacting. Better in than out, right? While he was wrapped in thought, he was unaware of a person exiting their room, which caused them to collide. This brought Evan back, and he realized that Medea was under him. He didn't move, like a deer in the headlights. Medea was just as stunned, but in a good kind of way. Evan realized that he was on top of her. He picked himself up and helped her up as well, only to be thrown to the floor by a sudden hug from Medea.

"Evan!" She squealed, "I'm so glad you made it back in time! I thought you were going to forget."

Evan picked them both up again, "Forget? About what?"

Medea blinked, then scowled, "What? My birthday, of course! It _was _today! Evan, how could you?"

Evan blinked. Then again. And for a third time. His mind shut down, and suddenly restarted in a giant shout. 'What' to be precise. "It's…today! But I was told it was tomorrow.!"

Medea blinked, "What are you talking about? My birthday is today."

Evan shook his head, "No, I'm positive, I was told it was tomorrow."

Medea sighed, "Evan, let's not fight about this. It's my birthday and I wanted to spend it with you." She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Evan had to make amends. And he knew just how to do it.

He grabbed Medea's hand, "Well, I'm going to give you your present! Come with me." With her in tow, he ran through the hallways. They left the main building and ran into the courtyard, under the big oak tree. Evan stopped and looked at Medea, who was panting.

"This…had better be good," She breathed, "or else you'll be sentenced to death!"

Evan chuckled, though he wasn't sure if she was kidding. "Well, here's to me not dying!" He reached in his pocket and pulled out the present. He handed it to her. She took it and opened it. She gasped as she took the necklace out of the package, letting the box fall to the ground. She held it in her hands as Evan whispered, "Happy Birthday."

Medea looked at the necklace, then at Evan, then back at the necklace, then back at Evan again. She tried to say something, but no words could form. Instead, tears began to appear and fall down her face. She hugged Evan with all of her strength and Evan returned her affection.

"Does this mean I get to live?" Evan joked, still hugging Medea.

She nodded and managed to say, "Yes."

Evan, with one hand, took the necklace from Medea and put in around her neck. They pulled apart and Evan looked at her with the necklace. Only one word could describe what he saw now. Perfect. She was simply perfect. A voice appeared in Evan's mind, tell him that it was now or never. Evan took a deep breath. "Medea, I have something to tell you. And…it's really important and I'm going to work fast before I lose my nerve."

"Medea…I like you. A lot. You were my first friend. Well, I think you were. I can't remember anything from my past, but for referencing purposes, you're my first friend. You made me feel welcome when I was alone and I thank you for that. I always remember the fun we had when we were younger. Like playing tag in the castle, stealing snacks from the kitchen, late night walks along the castle. They were some of the best memories that I've ever had, though I can't…never mind, digressing. ANYWAY, I guess what I'm saying is…well…um…what I mean is…I…I love you. I waited so long for to say this. I think I want to say it again. I love you. I…also wanted to do this."

Without hesitating, Evan leaned in to Medea and placed his hands on her face and kissed her. Medea froze and her eyes widened, but after a couple of seconds, she relaxed and her eyes closed. She brought her hands around him. They stood there, for what seemed like an eternity. At this moment, time stood still. The world began to fade, and the only thing that mattered at this exact moment was the two of them. Through their lips, Evan and Medea could feel each other's passion pour through them, filling them up and giving them a sense on completeness. Time was lost. No one knew if a second, minute, or hour had passed. They could have continued like this forever, but they needed oxygen. They both parted, gasping for breath.

"How…do you feel?" Evan asked, hesitant to hear her answer.

Medea remained silent, trying to process what just happened. After a few minutes, a smile appeared on her face, "Evan…that was…amazing. I've never felt like that before. Evan, I've had a crush on you for as long as I can remember. At first it was a crush, but soon it developed into something more. Love. It became love. I love you. I love you so much, I just want to scream it to the heavens. I don't want to leave you, never again. I want to be with you."

Medea initiated another kiss. It held the same passion as the first. As they stopped, gasping for breath, Evan said, "Man…we need to practice breathing more."

Medea smiled coyly, "So, you want there to be more?"

Evan nodded, "Yeah, I do. Do you want there to be more?"

She nodded, "Yes, I do."

They kissed again. They started to walk back towards the castle. Their hands found each other and they intertwined. Evan looked at Medea and said, "On a scale from 1 to 10, how does this birthday rate?"

Medea thought for a minute, and finally said, "Oh, it's a nine."

Evan blink, "Wait, if this is a nine, then what's a ten?"

Medea turned and faced him, "The day I met you."

Evan smiled and leaned in to kiss her. This one was a chaste one. As they continued to the castle, Evan thought of his life, and all the memories he had, this one being the most perfect. Evan still had thoughts as to his past, but he quickly brushed those off. This life was a life worth living.

******

Abel stood on his balcony, gazing out at the moon. He smiled, his plan was just about to be set in motion. He had his special forces all selected. His temporary replacement trained and ready to take over when he departed. Boats, stocked with supplies, and waiting his command to depart. His plan, which he had planned for over 10 years, was about to be set into motion. He was ready to achieve his destiny, and nothing was going to stop him. He let out a sinister laugh as he opened the door to his bed chamber. As he entered, his trusted servant awaited him.

"What is your command, your majesty?" The servant bowed.

Abel smiled, "At first light, we set sail for Trodain."


End file.
